It is mostly about his life in Japan, probably as a Japanese representative or a diplomat from the Imperial Army. In the film, there are many flashbacks based on the memories of General Kuribayashi back in America.

Although they pledge to defend the Emperor and the country until the very end, they all know deep down in their hearts, that there could be no victory against the United States of America. Unlike the beginning of the War in the early 1940s, the Imperial Army’s spirit isn’t as high. The overall tone of the film is rather sad and touching.

It is due to the fact that he is an Army officer while most of the other officers are from the Navy, they have different military tactics. During the preparation for Japan’s defence, many conflicting arguments emerge between the officers against the General’s ideas. He spend considerable amounts of time abroad as a foreigner, and that shaped the way he thinks and behaves. I also learned that it was probably due to his American background. From this scene, I learned that the General was a gracious, merciful soldier. General Kuribayashi arrives to be in command of the island. The Imperial Army is building trenches on the beaches to prepare for an impending American invasion. And the film flashes back to the year 1944. The film starts off with Japanese archaeologists of the 21st century in the tunnels of Iwo Jima and they find something in the dirt. It only made sense that we watched this film, for we were concluding the chapter of the Pacific War. It was about the last defence the Empire of Japan had against American invasion and the end of the War. The story took place at Iwo Jima, an island of Japan.

During our last few Asian Studies classes, we watched the film ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’ by Clint Eastwood.

Letters from iwo jima watch