Several movie theaters canceled plans to show a documentary about a war shrine criticized for glorifying Japan's militaristic past after at least one theater received threatening calls, reports and a cinema official said Monday.
Manabu Matsumoto, a spokesman for movie theater operator Humax Cinema, said his company decided not to show the documentary at one of its theaters after callers threatened the company. Matsumoto refused to give details about what kind of threats were made.
"I personally think the decision is regrettable. I don't think the movie is anti-Japanese," Matsumoto said.
His company has to ensure that viewers can see a movie comfortably, he said.
Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine honors Japan's 2.5 million war dead, including executed wartime leaders convicted as Class-A war criminals, and is vilified by critics at home and abroad.
Li Ying's documentary has been shown at prestigious film festivals such as Sundance and Berlin International. It depicts Japanese worshippers as well as people from South Korea and Taiwan _ both colonized by Japan in the early 1900s _ who say family members are enshrined at Yasukuni against their wishes.
Five theaters decided to scrap screenings of the documentary, which were to start April 12, Kyodo News agency reported, citing unnamed officials.
Officials at Argo Pictures, the distributor of the film, were not immediately available for comment late Monday.
Some theaters in northern, central and southwestern Japan are still scheduled to screen the film, Kyodo said.
