Japan Takes a Dive; Self-flagellating as always, Japanese moviegoers are flocking to a film about their ultimate destruction.

Byline: Akiko Kashiwagi

America isn't the only place that wows summer audiences with blockbuster disaster flicks. Japanese--never shy of self-flagellation--have been flocking to a new movie that features the destruction of the country. Called "Sinking of Japan," and based on a best-selling novel by Sakyo Komatsu, the film depicts the government's desperate efforts to save the nation from a series of earthquakes and tsunamis that steadily kill hundreds of millions of citizens. A happy movie it's not--but "Sinking" has become one of the hottest draws of the summer, jostling with the likes of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" and "Superman Returns" for box-office supremacy. Some 3.5 million people have seen the film since its opening in mid-July, making it one of the bigger success stories in the Japanese film industry.

A remake of a 1973 movie of the same name, "Sinking" features plenty of eye-popping special effects. Several famous Japanese structures, including the Diet, a famous temple in Kyoto and the Buddha in Nara, are dramatically washed away by towering waves. But what distinguishes the remake is its compelling verisimilitude. Much of the gloomy story line echoes recent global events. Japanese well remember the epic tsunami of late 2004 in Southeast Asia, and just weeks ago, the cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was forced into an emergency session after North Korea conducted a missile test. (The movie's prime minister, seen conducting ominous meetings, has a sweeping mane like Koizumi.)

He might not appreciate how the government is portrayed, however. Hoping not to provoke a panic, officials in the film lie when they announce that the ongoing earthquakes could wipe out the country within five years. Government experts know the end will come within 12 months. "We cannot tell the truth to the public," intones a minister. Such lines resonate with moviegoers whose trust in bureaucrats has been shaken in recent years by various scandals--including a recent massive cover-up by the Social Insurance Agency involving the nation's pension funds.

Executive director Kazuya Hamana says he decided on filming the remake because the times have changed dramatically. "We are living in an era when huge natural disasters are no longer a fiction." Three decades ago, few people were thinking about what would happen if big earthquakes hit Japan, he added. People were preoccupied by rapid economic growth. That's not the case ...