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Nam Center film presentation | Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue

Directed by Miki Dezaki | 2019. 120 min. Documentary. NR.
Monday, February 17, 2020
7:30-9:00 PM
Off Campus Location
Director Miki Dezaki will lead a Q & A after the film!

Shusenjo is one of the most controversial films in the last decade, inspiring both lawsuits and bomb scares and death threats. It delves deep into the most contentious debates and uncovers the hidden intentions of the supporters and detractors of comfort women. Most importantly it finds answers to some of the biggest questions for Japanese and Koreans: Were comfort women prostitutes or sex slaves? Were they coercively recruited? And, does Japan have a legal responsibility to apologize to the former comfort women?

The “comfort women” issue is perhaps Japan’s most contentious present-day diplomatic quandary. Inside Japan, the issue is dividing the country across clear ideological lines. Supporters and detractors of “comfort women” are caught in a relentless battle over empirical evidence, the validity of oral testimony, the number of victims, the meaning of sexual slavery, and the definition of coercive recruitment. Credibility, legitimacy and influence serve as the rallying cry for all those involved in the battle. In addition, this largely domestic battleground has been shifted to the international arena, commanding the participation of various state and non-state actors and institutions from all over the world.

About the Director: Miki Dezaki is a Japanese-American director and graduate of the Graduate Program in Global Studies at Sophia University in Tokyo. He worked for the Japan Exchange Teaching Program for five years in Yamanashi and Okinawa before becoming a Buddhist monk in Thailand for one year. He is also known as “Medamasensei” on Youtube, where he has made comedy videos and videos on social issues in Japan. His most notable video is “Racism in Japan,” which led to numerous online attacks by Japanese neo-nationalists who attempted to deny the existence of racism and discrimination against Zainichi Koreans (Koreans with permanent residency in Japan) and Burakumin (historical outcasts still discriminated today). Shusenjo is his directorial debut.

Presented in Japanese, Korean and English with English subtitles.

Join us for a post-film discussion with the film’s director, Miki Dezaki.

“A Filmmaker Explored Japan’s Wartime Enslavement of Women. Now He’s Being Sued.” – The New York Times

“Documentary juxtaposes both sides of contentious debate on ‘comfort women’” – The Japan Times

Special prices apply. Gold cards not admitted free. Tickets can be purchased here: https://secure.michtheater.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=656151~c76be4f4-22b5-4bed-a89c-7def863b8c53&

If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation to attend this event, please reach out to us at least 2 weeks in advance of this event. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.
Building: Off Campus Location
Location: Michigan Theater, 603 East Liberty Street
Cost: Special prices apply. Gold cards not admitted free.
Event Type: Film Screening
Tags: Japanese Studies, Korea
Source: Happening @ Michigan from Nam Center for Korean Studies, International Institute, Asian Languages and Cultures