The Unbroken (2009)
The Unbroken (2009), directed by Setsuro Wakamatsu, starring Ken Watanabe and Kyoka Suzuki.
score
Synopsis
Onchi was exiled to posts around Asia and Africa due to his work as head of a labor union for National Air Line. He is ordered to return to head office after ten years, and continues to struggle. When a National Air Line plane is involved in the worst air disaster in Japanese history, he is assigned to console and provide restitution to the families of the victims.
- 長沼六男Cinematography
- Setsuro WakamatsuDirector
- 新井孝夫Editing
- 井口喜一Producer
About the film
Shizumanu Taiyō (Japanese: 沈まぬ太陽; lit. The Never-Setting Sun) is a 2009 Japanese drama film directed by Setsurō Wakamatsu. It is also known as The Unbroken in the United States.
Shizumanu Taiyō is based on a novel by Toyoko Yamasaki which centers on Hajime Onchi, an employee of "NAL," a large national airline. The first part of the novel focuses on Onchi's activity as the chairman of the employees' union in the 1960s; his reward for fighting for better working conditions for the staff is a series of postings abroad, to Pakistan, Iran, and finally Kenya, a destination to which the company does not even fly. The second and third parts of the novel take place in 1985 and chronicle the crash of a jumbo jet and its aftermath within the company.
The events portrayed in the story are based upon actual events that took place at Japan Airlines. The character of Onchi is based upon JAL labor organizer and author Hirotaro Ogura, and the pivotal crash portrayed in the novel is based closely upon the crash of Japan Air Lines Flight 123 (up to having the same flight number and taking place at the same location, date and time). Several politicians and JAL executives portrayed in the story are also based on real-world counterparts. JAL objected strongly to both the novel and the film, stating that they were defamatory to the airline and disrespected the victims of the actual Flight 123. The novel claims to be a work based upon real-life events, while the film claims to be entirely a work of fiction.
The cast of the film includes Ken Watanabe as Onchi, with Kōji Ishizaka, Kyōka Suzuki, Yasuko Matsuyuki and Tomokazu Miura in supporting roles. The violinist Diana Yukawa, whose father died in the real-world crash of JAL Flight 123, was involved in the music for the film.
The film's premiere was on 24 October 2009 in Ginza. Its theme song, "Little Prayer", was performed by Yukawa.
Read the full article (3k characters)
Shizumanu Taiyō (Japanese: 沈まぬ太陽; lit. The Never-Setting Sun) is a 2009 Japanese drama film directed by Setsurō Wakamatsu. It is also known as The Unbroken in the United States.
Shizumanu Taiyō is based on a novel by Toyoko Yamasaki which centers on Hajime Onchi, an employee of "NAL," a large national airline. The first part of the novel focuses on Onchi's activity as the chairman of the employees' union in the 1960s; his reward for fighting for better working conditions for the staff is a series of postings abroad, to Pakistan, Iran, and finally Kenya, a destination to which the company does not even fly. The second and third parts of the novel take place in 1985 and chronicle the crash of a jumbo jet and its aftermath within the company.
The events portrayed in the story are based upon actual events that took place at Japan Airlines. The character of Onchi is based upon JAL labor organizer and author Hirotaro Ogura, and the pivotal crash portrayed in the novel is based closely upon the crash of Japan Air Lines Flight 123 (up to having the same flight number and taking place at the same location, date and time). Several politicians and JAL executives portrayed in the story are also based on real-world counterparts. JAL objected strongly to both the novel and the film, stating that they were defamatory to the airline and disrespected the victims of the actual Flight 123. The novel claims to be a work based upon real-life events, while the film claims to be entirely a work of fiction.
The cast of the film includes Ken Watanabe as Onchi, with Kōji Ishizaka, Kyōka Suzuki, Yasuko Matsuyuki and Tomokazu Miura in supporting roles. The violinist Diana Yukawa, whose father died in the real-world crash of JAL Flight 123, was involved in the music for the film.
The film's premiere was on 24 October 2009 in Ginza. Its theme song, "Little Prayer", was performed by Yukawa.
Cast
Ken Watanabe as Hajime Onchi
Tomokazu Miura as Shiro Gyoten
Teruyuki Kagawa as Kazuo Yagi
Kyōka Suzuki as Ritsuko Onchi
Erika Toda as Junko Onchi
Gō Katō as the prime minister Yasushi Tonegawa (based on Yasuhiro Nakasone)
Nenji Kobayashi as the deputy prime minister Takemaru (based on Shin Kanemaru)
Tōru Shinagawa as Issei Ryuzaki (based on Ryūzō Sejima)
Kōji Ishizaka as Masayuki Kunimi
Tae Kimura as Natsuko Suzuki
Yasuko Matsuyuki as Miki Mitsui
Awards and nominations
34th Hochi Film Awards
Won: Best Film
Won: Best Actor - Ken Watanabe
33rd Japan Academy Prize
Won: Best Film
Won: Best Actor - Ken Watanabe
References
External links
Shizumanu Taiyō at IMDb
Text from Shizumanu Taiyō on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shizumanu_Taiyō
Trivia
- It premiered on October 23, 2009, a Friday.
- It runs 3h22 — well over the usual two hours.
- Its original title is "沈まぬ太陽".
- It won 1 award(s) and received 0 nomination(s) on record at Wikidata — Hōchi Film Award for Best Picture among them.
- This film's quiz has 12 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosKADOKAWA, TOHO, K DASH, Shinchosha Company, Nippan Group Holdings
- CountriesJapan
- LanguagesJapanese
- StatusReleased
More about this film
Awards
- Hōchi Film Award for Best Picture 2009
Photos
Cast
-
Ken Watanabe
Hajime Onchi -
Kyoka Suzuki
Ritsuko Onchi -
Mitsuko Kusabue
Masae Onchi -
Takashi Kashiwabara
Katsumi Onchi -
Erika Toda
Junko Onchi -
Tomokazu Miura
Shiro Gyoten -
Yasuko Matsuyuki
Miki Mitsui -
Shigeru Kōyama
President Hiyama -
Toshio Shiba
President Domoto -
Tadashi Yokouchi
Umino Noboru -
Masane Tsukayama
Mitsunari Michio -
Koji Ishizaka
Masayuki Kokumi -
Teruyuki Kagawa
Kazuo Yagi -
Ren Osugi
Wako -
Masahiko Nishimura
Chuji Yaba -
Toru Kazama
Toru Sawaizumi -
Tatsuo Yamada
Yasuo Kotoko -
Shun Sugata
Tatsuro Shikata -
Nao Matsushita
Kyoko Higuchi -
Setsuko Karasuma
Mitsuko Higuchi
Quiz about this movie
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6.9
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6.6
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7.1
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Desejo Profano
7.0
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Home
6.7
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Pelos Olhos de Maisie
7.1
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Hardball - O Jogo da Vida Drama from the 2000s
6.5
Tags
Crew
- 長沼六男 Cinematography
- Setsuro Wakamatsu Director
- 新井孝夫 Editing
- 井口喜一 Producer
- 岡田和則 Producer
- 越智貞夫 Producer
- 住友紀人 Original music
- 西岡琢也 Screenplay
Questions about this film
What is The Unbroken about?
The Unbroken: Onchi was exiled to posts around Asia and Africa due to his work as head of a labor union for National Air Line. He is ordered to return to head office after ten years, and continues to struggle. When a National Air Line plane is involved in the worst air disaster in Japanese history, he is assigned to console and pro…
Who directed The Unbroken?
The Unbroken was directed by Setsuro Wakamatsu in 2009.
Who stars in The Unbroken?
The cast of The Unbroken includes Ken Watanabe, Kyoka Suzuki, Mitsuko Kusabue, Takashi Kashiwabara and Erika Toda.
How long is The Unbroken?
The Unbroken runs for 202 minutes, or 3h22.
What awards did The Unbroken win?
The Unbroken has 1 recorded awards, among them Hōchi Film Award for Best Picture.
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Page updated on 09/12/2026.
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