In late July I did a video with journalist Michael Penn for his independent news agency the Shingetsu News Agency focusing on Battle Royale actor Taro Yamamoto. Yamamoto is somewhat of an anomaly in Japan - a celebrity who has taken a political stance. After seeing the consequences of his actions you can see why too. After anti-nuclear comments were made on Twitter, the actor parted ways with his management agency. The official story is that decision was his because he didn't want to cause trouble for the agency. Following his departure, Yamamoto became increasingly involved with the anti-nuclear movement taking a high-profile role in several demonstrations. He was involved in a protest in Saga Prefecture over the proposed restarting of the Genkai nuclear reactor which saw a somewhat heated exchange between local authorities and protestors. The protest made headlines and Yamamoto has been charged with obstruction of business. The idea of the video was to allow Yamamoto to explain at length his involvement with the anti-nuclear movement and the incident itself.
- Michael Condon
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