A movie theater in central Osaka began screening the controversial documentary "Yasukuni" on Saturday, becoming the first theater to do so in the Kansai region.
The Seventh Art Theater in Yodogawa Ward will run the film by Chinese Director Li Ying till June 6. Depending on viewer turnout, the showing will be extended, it said.
Despite the rain, the 140-seat theater was packed before Saturday's first showing at 9:30 a.m., and the theater had to rent a the banquet room at a Chinese restaurant in the same building to screen it for more people.
About 100 people saw the film at the restaurant. No disturbance by rightwing groups was observed.
The film has stirred heated controversy since four Tokyo cinemas and one in Osaka decided to cancel shows in April under pressure from rightwing groups and allegations by some lawmakers and critics that "Yasukuni" is anti-Japanese.
The film depicts events and people connected to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which Japan's neighbors view as a symbol of its fervent wartime militarism. The Shinto shrine is dedicated to the nation's war dead, including Class-A war criminals.
"I don't think the film is giving out a strong message, and how to interpret the film is left to the people who see the film," Akiko Inoue, a 22-year-old female graduate school student, said after seeing the film. "I think it stirred controversy because some people took it too extremely."
"Theaters are for showing films. Making judgments on films is up to the viewers," a Seventh Art manager said.