KAISEN ZENYA

Director, Screenplay, and Editor: Yuya Ishii x A Star-Studded Cast Led by Sosuke Ikematsu x Music: Taro Iwashiro

This film depicts the anguish of people torn between sound reasoning and political expediency, and between reason and passion.

Soundtrack Album to Be Released on July 29, 2026!

Four months before the attack on Pearl Harbor?the future in which "Japan's defeat was inevitable" was already in sight.

What exactly was it that swallowed us whole?

Based on the non-fiction book "Defeat in the Summer of Sh?wa 16" by Naoki Inose, this human drama depicts the "Total War Research Institute"?a real organization that once existed in Japan?and the events leading up to the outbreak of war between Japan and the United States. This is the complete version, featuring approximately 40 minutes of additional scenes added to the drama segment of the NHK Special "Simulation: Defeat in the Summer of Sh?wa 16", which aired in August 2025.

April 1941 (Showa 16). An organization called the "Total War Research Institute" existed, bringing together elites from across Japan. Handpicked from the bureaucracy, the military, and the private sector, they were the "best and brightest" set to lead the next generation. The mission assigned to them was to "predict" the outcome of a war with the United States and other nations. After amassing vast amounts of data and repeating simulations amid anguish and passion, what they saw was?

a shocking scenario of Japan's "overwhelming defeat"?a prediction that accurately foresaw nearly everything except the atomic bombings.

The cast features a star-studded lineup led by Sosuke Ikematsu as the protagonist, Ujita, alongside Taiga Nakano, Takenori Iwata, Aoi Nakamura, Takahiro Miura, Hayato Kunimura, Ryuta Sato, Yosuke Eguchi, and Koichi Sato. Yuya Ishii serves as director, screenwriter, and editor. The music is composed by Taro Iwashiro, marking their third collaboration following "The Moon" and "Why Do People Write Love Letters?". Amid the palpable tension, the rich, profound score masterfully expresses the anguish of people torn between justice and political expediency, reason and passion. 

01. Prologue to World War II／大戦へのプロローグ

02. The Stirrings of History／歴史の蠢き

03. Paranoia／パラノイア

04. Blade of Militarism／軍国主義の刃

05. Opaque Mirror／不透明な鏡

06. Countdown Pearl Harbor／カウントダウン・パールハーバー

07. One Way Street in the Dark／暗闇の中の一方通行

08. Fears of Extinction／滅亡への懸念

09. Pilgrimage to the War Dead／戦没者への巡礼

10. Taking Aim／照準合わせ

11. Family Portrait／家族の肖像

12. The End of Pretense／偽りの果て

13. A Sketch in the Color of Tears／涙色のスケッチ

14. Harmony of the Soul／魂のハーモニー

15. Lamentation and Repentance／慟哭と懺悔

16. In Memoriam of the War Dead／戦没者への追悼

17. Epilogue to World War II／大戦へのエピローグ