Controversial Japanese war-film causes uproar

A new film that depicts Japan's most famous war criminal as a hero is getting good reviews in Japan, but has outraged China and been branded 'shameless' by North Korea. Pride, a sympathetic Japanese biopic about Gen. Hideki Tojo, which opens later this month in the States, promotes the popular belief (in Japan) that the country's war record is widely misunderstood. Criticism of the movie has been strident, especially in the countries who suffered most at the hands of the Japanese, with many saying it's an effort by right-wing groups to whitewash Japan's role in WWII. The China Daily carried a cartoon showing a piece of the film wrapped around a bloody samurai sword topped with a skull. The film-makers, however, have retorted that such criticism is typical of China, pointing to their condemnation of Seven Years In Tibet and trying to draw parallels. Tojo was put to death in 1948.