Synopsis

In 1991, the issue of “comfort women” was raised for the first time through the testimony of the late Kim Hak-sun. One of the first reporters in Japan to write an article about her testimony was Uemura Takashi of The Asahi Shimbun. Since the publication of his article, Uemura has been subjected to blatant attacks from the far-right, including threats on his family’s life, and the issue is still ongoing in 2021. Based on Uemura’s defamation lawsuit that began in 2015, TARGET details why he had to be someone’s “target.” The film becomes more intriguing as it changes its direction and expands its gaze. Through the person who became a target, director Nishijima Shinji faithfully and tenaciously traces ways in which the current far-right forces in Japan systematically exert influence over society and the role the Japanese government play in the process.