Pride , also known as Pride: The Fateful Moment, is a 1998 Japanese historical drama directed by Shunya Itō. The film, based on the International Military Tribunal for the Far East of 1946–48, depicts Japanese prime minister Hideki Tojo as a family man who fought to defend Japan and Asia from Western colonialism but was ultimately hanged by a vengeful United States. Shot at a cost of ¥1.5 billion and partially funded by a right-wing businessman, Pride was one of the highest-grossing Japanese films of 1998 and was nominated for two Japan Academy Prizes. Although the filmmakers intended the film to open dialogue on Japanese history, it was controversial in China, South Korea, and Japan owing to concerns of historical denialism.
US DVD cover
Image: Masahiko Tsugawa Tokyo Intl Filmfest 2005
Image: Hideki Tojo
Hideki Tojo was a Japanese politician, military leader and convicted war criminal who served as prime minister of Japan and president of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association from 1941 to 1944 during World War II. He assumed several more positions including chief of staff of the Imperial Army before ultimately being removed from power in July 1944. During his years in power, his leadership was marked by extreme state-perpetrated violence in the name of Japanese ultranationalism, much of which he was personally involved in.
Tojo c. 1945
Young Hideki Tojo
Tōjō as Lieutenant General
Cabinet ministers of the first Tojo Cabinet, October 1941