Will we be blown over by the blaring of speakers?

When Charlie Chaplin's 1947 film "Monsieur Verdoux" premiered in the United States, it was poorly received. Religious organizations and the American Legion blasted it and applied pressure on movie theaters, saying it ran "counter to ethics" and was "sympathetic toward the communists." The United States, where McCarthyism was about to take hold, "banished" Chaplin.

Twenty years later, Chaplin returned to the United States to attend an Oscar ceremony to accept an honorary award. The gesture was a kind of apology by Hollywood for failing to honor this outstanding movie figure and to protect freedom of expression.

Over the past several weeks, five movie theaters in Tokyo and Osaka decided to cancel the screening of the documentary "Yasukuni" by Chinese director Li Ying. They say the decision was made out of concern about potential harassment and problems for customers. The film, which shows scenes of worship on the anniversary of the end of World War II and other events, looks as if it could be stock footage. But when it was shown to a group of lawmakers in a special preview, it was deemed to have political connotations.

Like the case of a Tokyo hotel that refused to provide a venue for a meeting of the Japan Teachers Union for fear of being a target of protests by rightists, the way the movie theaters flinched is just as serious or even more so when we consider that they are part of the mass media. The cinema must serve as a forum for all kinds of expression, speech and criticism. But if theaters voluntarily shut their doors, there can't even be room for debate.

No one wants trouble. Some people think nothing of casting aspersions against others on the Internet without identifying themselves. With these growing trends, the atmosphere of the times is gradually changing for the worse. If one by one, individuals give in to harassment, right-wing trucks with their blaring speakers will jump on any who stick to their beliefs. How can we support people with courage? As part of the media, we must renew our determination to hold fast to our principles.

The cherry blossoms at Yasukuni Shrine were still in full bloom Tuesday. Even though some petals were blown away by the north wind, most of them clung to the branches that were swinging in the wind. The blossoms seemed determined not to fall until the weekend. There are times when we must not give in to the "winds."

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 2(IHT/Asahi: April 3,2008)