In among the familiar roll call of memorial services, television specials, peace ceremonies and other events in Japan planned to coincide with next month's 64th anniversary of the end of World War II, one stands out for its unlikely involvement of youth.
Made by a director in his 20s, a documentary film titled "Hana to Heitai" ("Flowers and Troops") will open at Image Forum in Shibuya, central Tokyo, and shortly after at other cinemas around the country.
The film comprises interviews with six former Imperial Japanese Army soldiers who opted, at war's end, not to return to the country for which they had fought and so many of their compatriots had died.