wavenovel Chapters 1242 and 1251, which should have been just a formality.
Chapters 1242 and 1251, which should have been just a formality.
Chapters 1242 and 1251, which should have been just a formality.
The preview screening of "Departures" was reported in the evening paper that day, as expected.
Photos of Naoki Nagayama with Tomokazu Miura and Momoe Yamaguchi were prominently displayed in the center of the entertainment section, and reporters raved about the movie "Departures."
Phrases like "a once-in-50-years film," "a breathtaking masterpiece," and "a groundbreaking work" were used in abundance, allowing people to once again experience the power of boasting in Japanese media.
By the next morning, the movie title "Departures" was all over the media, and even the morning news on TV stations mentioned it, saying that the famous director Naoki Nagayama was bringing his latest film, a comeback masterpiece by Momoe Yamaguchi, to the screen.
"It makes people blush."
Naoki Nagayama put down the newspaper and shook his head. Sometimes these media outlets really have no integrity!
"Haha, because Naoki-san paid for the travel expenses!"
Akina smiled and said,
"I saw it! Watanabe-kun gave someone a huge red envelope!"
“…Uh…” Naoki Nagayama looked at Akina in surprise, “Eiichiro Watanabe? That guy is so careless!”
"Haha, that's because I was hiding from reporters, that's why I saw it."
Akina arrived early at yesterday's preview screening and was very careful to avoid the cameras, which is why this scene was seen.
"What's the point of hiding from reporters? They still managed to photograph you."
Naoki Nagayama handed Akina a newspaper, in which Akina's portrait was shown in a corner, with a note next to it saying something like "Akina Nakamori was specially invited to attend and cheer on her husband."
"Tsk tsk tsk, such a tiny corner piece?" Akina shook her head. "I rarely put things in corners like this after I became famous~"
"Tsk tsk tsk"
"?"
Suddenly hearing a tsk-tsk sound that didn't belong to either of them, Nagayama Naoki and Akina both turned to look at Natsuka beside them.
The little guy, who should have been eating, now had an empty plate, and his oily little mouth was even making a tsk-tsk sound, just like Akina's.
"How did you learn this so quickly, Hua Jiang?"
Akina quickly served the little one, feeling a bit of a headache, and glanced at Naoki Nagayama.
"He must have learned it from Naoki-san!"
"It's obvious that she learned it from Akina."
Naoki Nagayama wanted to argue, but he succumbed to the pressure of his wife's bright eyes.
"Okay, okay, you learned it from me. Flower Sauce, don't pick up these bad habits in the future."
"Hmph~~~" Akina was finally satisfied, letting out two snorts through her nose~
"Huh~huh~"
Xiaoxia followed suit, making Akina quite embarrassed.
"Hahaha~" Naoki Nagayama couldn't help but laugh, "You still say you didn't learn it from Akina?!"
"Naoki-san!"
"Haha~ That's true!"
Naoki Nagayama quickly finished his breakfast, then ran off with a smile to change his clothes upstairs.
"Even if Akina threatens me, I'll still tell her!"
"."
After changing into a suit and shirt upstairs, Naoki Nagayama went downstairs to prepare for departure.
Today is the hearing for the "Proposal on Labor Protection for Film Industry Practitioners," which is why he needs to dress more formally.
"Naoki-san, are you sure you don't need me to come with you?"
"No need, it's just a small hearing."
Naoki Nagayama gently hugged his wife.
"It's best for Akina to avoid getting too involved in such a sordid setting as politics."
May you have a safe journey and a successful start!
"Hi~"
In one of the House of Representatives' deliberation chambers, even though the deliberations had not yet begun, the seats gradually filled up.
If you look closely, you'll see that representatives from the film industry, such as editors, cinematographers, screenwriters, directors, set designers, prop masters, and so on, have all come to listen in.
Others included high-society figures, renowned commentators, human rights activists, other members of parliament, and social activists.
Reporters from various media outlets and television staff also entered the venue to set up media equipment. This hearing was completely open to the public, and everyone could record or broadcast it live.
"I didn't expect there to be so many people."
Haneda Tsutomu of the Takeshita faction said to Aoki Itsuki, Takeshita Noboru's secretary.
"Isn't this proposal a bit too influential?"
It's just an industry labor protection proposal, why has it attracted so much attention?
"The main reason is that the film 'Departures' by Shuyou had a preview screening yesterday, and Koichi Hamada also made a public appearance at the screening."
Aoki Ihei was also a little puzzled. When did Kiyuki and Hamada Koichi reconnect? Together with some scattered members of parliament and members of the Socialist Party faction, they had actually formed a considerable force.
"I knew it. Why did Hamada Koichi greet me beforehand?"
Tsutomu Hata realized that when Koichi Hamada had asked for a place to use the restroom within the Liberal Democratic Party, they all assumed it was simply because of his connection to Ikuo Suo of Burning's agency.
"So she's standing with Naoki Nagayama too!"
"Um"
Aoki Ihei glanced at the scale of today's hearing and realized that his previous idea of making things difficult for the hearing might not work.
"Aoki, shall we continue to obstruct the passage of the proposal today?"
"Of course. This proposal came from the Nakasone Cabinet after all. We can't let the Tanaka faction have it so easily."
"."
Yuda Tsutomu shook his head. Factional strife is like crabs waiting to be steamed in a basket. Instead of thinking about how to climb out, people are thinking about how to pull the crabs that are trying to climb out down!
When the hearing was about to begin, House Speaker Kenzaburo Hara presided over the hearing, and the deliberation committee, composed of members of parliament and officials, sat in a semi-circular deliberation area.
Then, as the proposer of the "Proposal," Minister of Education Masajuro Shiokawa sat in the middle, followed by Shuichi Itō as a professional advisor, the managing director of the Tokyo Film Association, and some other officials who signed the proposal.
Naoki Nagayama and representatives from the film industry stood by as professionals, waiting to be questioned.
On the other side are the hearing recorders, who are responsible for recording the written materials of today's hearing and preparing a hearing report after the hearing.
"Da da da"
The sound of the gavel striking rang out, and after attracting everyone's attention, the host, Kenzaburo Hara, began to explain the purpose and significance of today's hearing. Then, towards the end...
"The hearing on the 'Labor Protection Proposal for Film Industry Workers,' proposed by the Minister of Education, has officially begun."
"First, please present the hearing agenda, the basic content of the proposal, and its necessity. You have 5 minutes."
"Honorable members of the review committee, under the guidance of successive governments and with the support of relevant departments, Japan's film industry has achieved tremendous success and may well become one of the lifelines of the national economy in the future."
In today's rapidly changing world, the industry's regulations and order are still imperfect.
Especially the protection and safeguarding of the rights and interests of grassroots workers.
Minister of Education Masajuro Shiokawa spoke eloquently, all of which were prepared by his subordinates.
"This is the original intention behind the Ministry of Education's 'Proposal on Labor Protection for Film Industry Workers.' We will provide the most basic labor protection for the most grassroots workers, safeguard their basic rights, and promote the healthy and orderly development of the film industry."
Almost all leaders of groups or departments have one ability: public speaking, eloquence, and so on. As the head of the Ministry of Education, Shiokawa Shojuro was no exception.
Five minutes passed in a flash, and Shiokawa Shojuro's impassioned words resonated deeply.
The audience members present at the hearing couldn't help but applaud.
"Da da da!"
The host, Kenzaburo Hara, had to strike a gavel to maintain order at the event.
"Please remain quiet. The review committee will now ask questions!"
In order, the members of the review committee began to ask questions about the contents of the proposal.
In fact, Shiokawa Shojuro only had a summary outline of the proposal, but that didn't matter. His advisor had memorized the entire proposal, and Itō Shuichi, sitting behind him, helped him deal with all the difficulties.
"Minister Shiokawa, what standards were used to determine the minimum wage mentioned in the proposal?"
"This needs to be determined based on the latest data released by the Ministry of Labor last year."
Shiokawa Shojuro explained,
"On par with workers across the entire industry."
"How is the maximum working hours determined? It's important to understand that the film industry is a special industry; sometimes working hours cannot be differentiated according to those of ordinary workers. For example, when filming a movie, sometimes workers work consecutive days, or even weeks."
The next committee member also inquired with the professional consultants who were working with Naoki Nagayama.
"Experts, am I right?"
"Yes, that's definitely true."
The senior editor representative nodded.
"For film crews, the total working hours for a single project should not exceed the legally stipulated working hours multiplied by the production cycle."
Shiokawa Shojuro replied after hearing Itō Shuichi's quiet reminder.
Next, the committee members asked questions about the content of the proposal itself. By this point, everyone had a general idea: the review committee did not oppose the idea of protecting workers' rights in the proposal, but only had some questions about the specific standards.
This is also an inevitable consequence of the widespread dissemination of "democracy" and "civil rights" ideas since the 80s; protecting the rights of the people has become a major banner for attracting support.
Unless there is intentional obstruction, this hearing should just be a formality where everyone agrees to amicably.
but
Isn't there someone who wants to object?!
When it was Haneda Tsutomu's turn, he asked directly:
"Minister Shiokawa, as far as I know, this proposal was put forward by Shuichi Itō, Chairman of the Tokyo Film Industry Association, and not initiated by the Ministry of Education, is that correct?"
"."
Shiokawa Shojuro, being a veteran of the political arena, immediately said:
"That's right. The Tokyo Film Industry Association is an industry representative association established under the leadership of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to strengthen the connection between government departments and the industry, and to help MEXT better carry out its related work."
"After conducting research, Chairman Shuichi Itō discovered the shortcomings in the development of the film industry. Based on the results of internal discussions and research within the association, he submitted a proposed solution to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The Ministry of Education then conducted further research to determine the feasibility of the solution and submitted it as a proposal to the Diet."
"Congressman Haneda, this is a reasonable and compliant procedure, there's nothing wrong with it!"
“There’s nothing wrong with the procedure,” Tsutomu Hata nodded. “However, the Tokyo Film Industry Association has only been established for less than six months. Can its conclusions truly represent the entire film industry? I have my doubts.”
"."
At this point, Shuichi Itō had no choice but to speak up:
"Respected members of the review committee, the Tokyo Film Industry Association is a relatively new organization, but as its president, I, along with the other standing committee members, are all veteran professionals in the film industry."
For example, Ikuo Suo, president of Burning Studio, and representatives of Toho & Toei, are both people with many years of experience in the industry.
Furthermore, the Tokyo Film Industry Association has numerous members covering all aspects of the film industry, so it's absolutely true that it represents the majority opinion of the film industry!
Tsutomu Hata started nitpicking:
"This isn't something the film industry can determine on its own; it requires research and evaluation by a third-party organization representing the film industry."
"But the Tokyo Film Industry Association is already the representative organization of the film industry."
Shuichi Itō continued,
"There are also the Directors Guild, the Screenwriters Guild, and so on; these are all part of the film industry associations."
The Tokyo Film Industry Association truly encompasses most of the professionals in the film industry, both upstream and downstream, and Shuichi Itō's statement is entirely accurate.
"This is just one person's opinion," Tsutomu Haneda persisted. "We need more evidence to make a judgment."
But he couldn't find any loopholes in the short term, so he subconsciously looked towards the seats of the professionals next to him:
"Experts, do you agree with what Chairman Itō Shuichi said?"
"."
The professionals in the seating area all looked at Naoki Nagayama. They almost laughed at Tsutomu Hata's question.
The professional consultant and the hearing officer are actually the same person!
"Member Haneda."
Naoki Nagayama began to speak.
"I think Chairman Shuichi Itō is right! The Tokyo Film Industry Association certainly represents the mainstream opinion of the industry!"
“…You…” Haneda Tsutomu recognized Nagayama Naoki. “Nagayama Naoki! You’re in cahoots with Itō Shuichi!”
"No"
Naoki Nagayama had a serious expression.
"My current role is as a representative of young directors, and I'm here specifically to sit in on this hearing!"
"puff"
A snicker came from somewhere, quickly sparking a flurry of discussion among the audience members at the hearing.
"Member Haneda."
Koichi Maruyama, the head of Toho's headquarters, who was also among the professional consultants, spoke up as well.
"As a representative of film studios, I also believe that the film association can represent the opinions of the majority of practitioners in the film industry."
Next, representatives from the screenwriters' association, actors, and others also voiced their agreement.
Ultimately, most of these film-related professionals are already members of the Tokyo Film Industry Association, so why would they oppose their own association's proposal?
Moreover, this proposal is entirely for the benefit of the association members.
".you"
Yuda Tsutomu was speechless with anger and angrily shut down the microphone.
It seems the Film Association won't be able to find a way out of this hearing.
But it's okay, there will be a vote by members of parliament later, and then they'll know what happens when they offend the Takeshita faction!
Aoki Itsuki, a close confidant of Takeshita Noboru, stood by and watched coldly from the sidelines.
He was surprised to find that, under the organization of the film industry association, those working in the film industry seemed to have become a huge community of shared interests, somewhat resembling the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.
It's important to know that Japan's most influential economic organizations, the Keidanren and Nikkei, are a coalition of numerous powerful industry associations, wielding significant influence over Japan's economic decisions.
"Film Industry Association."
Aoki Ihei silently pondered the name.
"It possesses enormous economic potential, and also has a natural and significant advantage in culture and propaganda."
If a blockbuster movie were made to support the left wing, then the left-wing party would certainly have gained a significant advantage that year.
If celebrities and artists support a particular legislator, then the legislator's election will definitely receive more votes.
"We must remind Takeshita-san—no, we must remind the Liberal Democratic Party—to keep a firm grip on the Tokyo Film Industry Association!"
(End of this chapter)