Kaisen Zenya Japanese Film Overview
Kaisen Zenya (Japanese: 開戦前夜) is a Japanese feature film directed by Yuya Ishii. The film is scheduled for release on July 31, 2026, with a runtime of 138 minutes and distribution managed by Tokyo Theatres.
Background and Source Material
The film is based on the non-fiction novel titled Showa 16-nen Natsu no Haisen by Naoki Inose, which was originally published in August 1983 by Chuo Koron Shinsha. The screenplay is co-written by Naoki Inose and director Yuya Ishii, with cinematography handled by Takeshi Hamada.
Plot Synopsis
Set in April 1941—eight months prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor—the narrative follows the Total War Research Institute as it produces simulation results based on gathered data. The forecasts point toward an overwhelming defeat of Japan by the United States. However, these predictions face suppression within the prevailing political and social climate of the era.
Cast and Characters
The film features an ensemble cast portraying historical and fictionalized figures involved in the wartime period.
- Sosuke Ikematsu as Yoichi Ujita
- Taiga Nakano as Shigeo Kabashima
- Takanori Iwata as Kazumasa Murai
- Aoi Nakamura as Genichi Takashiro
- Takahiro Miura as Soichi Minegishi
- Jun Kunimura as Daido Itakura
- Ryuta Sato as Akira Seko
- Yosuke Eguchi as Yoshiho Nishimura
- Koichi Sato as Hideki Tojo
- Fumi Nikaido as Sayuri Ujita
- Rairu Sugita as Eiji Ushita
- Yukiya Kitamura as Fumimaro Konoe
- Kyusaku Shimada as Teiichi Suzuki
- Hideo Nakano as Akira Muto
- Ikkei Watanabe as Ichiro Ujita
- Tetsuya Bessho as Tadao Ikawa
- Ryuhei Matsuda as Emperor Hirohito
- Eiji Okuda as Koichi Kido
- Hideyuki Kasahara as Tatsuo Miyamoto