the Battle of Saipan, on 7 July 1944, Captain Sakae Ōba partakes in a final banzai charge against the United States Marines Corps on the island of Saipan. It is the largest banzai charge of the Pacific War, but fails, resulting in over 4,000 Japanese deaths after 15 hours of close combat. American forces declare the island secure on 9 July, while Ōba and a handful of survivors retreat into the jungle and begin a guerilla-style war using Mount Tapochau as a base due to its natural defensive position and prominent heights overlooking every possible approach. With only 46 soldiers and 200 civilians at his disposal Ōba – nicknamed “the Fox” by the Americans due to his cunning strategy – holds out for 512 days before surrendering on 1 December 1945, having lasted three months after Japan’s capitulation following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Ōba marches down from the mountain with his remaining survivors singing a song of departure to fallen comrades and presents his sword to the American commander in a formal and dignified manner, the last organized resistance of Japanese forces of the Second World War.
Directed by Hideyuki Hirayama
Written by Takuya Nishioka
Gregory Marquette
Cellin Gluck
Starring Yutaka Takenouchi
Release dates
11 February 2011
Running time
128 minutes
Country Japan
Language Japanese
English