The Oscar-winning film "Oppenheimer" premiered in Japan today, after eight months of a controversial marketing campaign and concerns about how its story revolving around the atomic bomb would be received in the only nation to experience atomic bombing. The film follows American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who led the race to develop the atomic bomb. It has grossed nearly a billion dollars worldwide and won the Oscar for Best Picture this month.
However, Japan had been excluded from the film's release until now, despite being a major market for Hollywood. The atomic bombings destroyed the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, resulting in the deaths of over 200,000 people.
A Hiroshima resident named Kawai, who provided only his last name, stated, "Of course, this is a wonderful film and worthy of winning Oscars." He added, "But the film also portrays the atomic bomb in a way that seems to celebrate it, and since I have roots in Hiroshima, I found it hard to watch." Kawai, a government employee, went to see the film on opening day at a theater located just one kilometer from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, which is a monument in the city. He said, "I'm not sure it's a film that the Japanese people should make a special effort to watch."
Social media showed images of signs posted at the entrances of some theaters in Tokyo warning that the film contains scenes of nuclear testing that may evoke memories of the damage caused by the two bombs.
