Tokyo Genpatsu/Tokyo: Level One (2004)
 
     One cold day in February, 200X, Temma (Koji Yakusho), the Governor of Tokyo, summons the six Tokyo Metropolitan Office department heads to a special conference in the Metropolitan Government Office building to announce that he is planning to launch a project for constructing a nuclear power station in Tokyo.  He starts explaining to the stunned-looking heads the various merits of building a nuclear power station in Tokyo.  The motto which he has created is shown to them on a small board, reading:  "SAFETY, CLEANLINESS and NECESSITY."

   He emphasizes that it is Tokyo residents that consume most of electricity generated by various nuclear power stations located far from Tokyo; therefore it is more convenient for Tokyo to have a nuclear power station, thereby economizing on the expense of sending electricity from distant nuclear power stations by transmission lines. He also insists that the construction of nuclear power stations in Japan has resulted in destruction of  beautiful landscapes in the countryside, whereas Tokyo has already become a desecrated, ugly city, so why hesitate to construct a nuclear power station there?

    Temma is quite eloquent in giving good reasoning why building a nuclear power station in Tokyo is essential.  His theory sounds so convincing that he has almost succeeded in persuading a couple of the department heads ; but the other heads are still suspicious concerning the governor's real intention.  As a result, the small conference room becomes filled with the babble of voices discussing the pros and cons of building nuclear power stations. Actually the six heads seem not so familiar with this field.

    In order to convince those who are still against him, Temma phones the most suitable person in regard to safety of nuclear power stations, requesting him to come to explain matters regarding safety to those in the conference room: that man is Matsuoka (Toru Masuoka), a member of the government's nuclear power safety committee.  Meanwhile, the Deputy Governor, Tsuda (Yasunori Danta), who strongly opposes the Governor's proposal, hits on the idea of asking a very reliable person to come to the conference to explain the risks of nuclear power: that person is Enomoto (Toshiki Ayata), a Tokyo University professor of nuclear physics.  Prof. Enomoto duly arrives post-haste and begins his lecture, using various charts to show how dangerous nuclear power stations are; he also refers to various historical facts and scientific truths, which appall almost all the listeners in the room apart from Temma himself (strangely enough.)
  Cast:
  Koji Yakusho: Governor, Temma
  Yasunori Danta:Deputy Governor,Tsuda
  Ittoku Kishibe:Ohno
  Hideko Yoshida:Izumi
  Ryosei Tayama: Saeki
  Mitsuru Hirata:Sasaoka
  Daikichi Sugawara:Ishikawa
  Yu Tokui: Temma's secretary,Oikawa
  Toru Masuoka: Matsuoka
  Nakamura: Sansei Shiomi
     Director: Gen Yamakawa
    Scenario: Gen Yamakawa

    Running time: 110 min

   Release date: March 13, 2004

  Official website
Synopsis
   Matsuoka, on the other hand, tells Temma during their telephone conversation that, at the moment, it is impossible for him to rush to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office in Shinjuku, since he is in the middle of fulfilling a top-secret mission to arrange the overland transport of a cargo of plutonium, which has just arrived by ship from France at a certain port in Tokyo Bay, as far as the nuclear power station in Fukui prefecture, in a trailer truck. (The name of the port that Matsuoka mentions astounds the audience, who then burst out laughing, although knowing that it is not a laughing matter at all.) As for laughter, Temma's reply about the construction site which he has in mind for theTokyo nuclear power station also cracks everybody up.  (His idea sounds quite logical and reassuring, though.)

   To make a long story short, toward the end of a heated discussion, all the heads come to
comprehend Temma's real intention hidden behind his superficially incredible plan and they all make a pledge to cooperate in realizing what their boss has actually aimed to accomplish for the benefit of Tokyo and Japan.  His true scheme sounds very significant!
    However, the film does not end here.

     All of a sudden, their discussion is terminated by an unexpected happening: Temma's cellular phone rings and he is told by an unknown boy that the boy has just hi-jacked a trailer truck carrying plutonium.  The boy adds that he has set a hand-made time bomb underneath the trailer truck, which is now heading for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office in Shinjuku!

    The fact is that the boy, who was looking for a suitable place somewhere in Tokyo to set off  his hand-made bomb, happens to be sitting next to Matsuoka on the train when Matsuoka phones  Temma's secretary, Oikawa (Yu Tokui) to tell him that he can't go to the Governor because the trailer truck carrying plutonium has strayed off its assigned route.  The boy becomes interested and follows Matsuoka, after picking up the cellular phone which Matsuoka has accidentally dropped on the train.  Matsuoka manages to find the trailer truck, but while he is at the roadside talking  to the truck driver, Nakamura (Sansei Shiomi) -- a stranger to Tokyo, who has lost his way on the journey to Fukui -- the boy sets the bomb, placing it under the truck and slips into the cab. The boy also sets a video camera inside the cab.  The boy threatens Nakamura, motioning him to the driver's seat with his hand-made gun, and ordering him to start up the truck. While the boy is wondering where to go, Matsuoka's cellular phone rings. Putting it to his ear, the boy hears a man asking Matsuoka to come to him immediately.  He checks who has phoned and recognizes that it is from Tokyo Metropolitan Governor,Temma himself!

    The boy asks Temma to open the website of theTokyo Metropolitan Government Office to see what is happening.  The computer screen shows that what the boy has mentioned is all true. The boy has got his own laptop computer and shows conference members a video scene where he has previously practiced exploding his hand-made bomb.  Clearly the boy is serious.

    In due course, the boy's bomb timer is switched on by accident when the truck bumps against road signs.  Nakamura has been drinking alcohol and gets tipsy!  There is only one hour left until the bomb is due to go off!

    It goes without saying that the mood in the conference room develops into one of panic!  Can Temma cope with this crisis?  If things go amiss, Tokyo will be contaminated with radioactivity...


                                                  
"Genpatsu" means nuclear power station in Japanese.
  This film is full of good quality black humor.  It is very educational, providing ample background knowledge about nuclear power stations. The information we receive through the film is so dreadful that we can't help shuddering at times. Nevertheless at times, we also can't hold back our laughter.  Dialogues spoken in the film are very funny despite the critical scenes, especially after the trailer truck has been hi-jacked by the boy.

   Koji Yakusho portrays the role of Temma very well, as a man who has a strong leadership talent  and is both eloquent and thoughtful.  While chuckling over every word he utters, we also sense in his looks and manner that he must have some deeper intent in mind.
  Pymmik's comment
This page was first created on October 19, 2002 and was revised on March 24, 2004.