Abstract
This is the sixth installment of a series that reviews the transformation of the production methods and styles of Nihon no sugao (Japan Unmasked) (1957- 1964)—an NHK documentary series that is credited with having built the foundation for Japanese TV documentaries. The author analyzes and examines the developments in FY 1962 through 1963, which turned out to be the last two years of “Sugao,” in two issues, this month’s and next.
As discussed in Part V, the latter phase of “Sugao” after fiscal 1961, or the post-1960 Anpo struggle (protests against the Japan‐U.S. Security Treaty), saw a gradual decline in its capacity to present social problems amid the peaceful and complacent mood. The fiscal 1962 and 1963 “Sugao” was covered with conformism, which was more rigid than in fiscal 1961. On the whole, the series enforced its character as a plain commentary program on social events as conformism prevailed. Nevertheless, there were many styles of conformism, depending on the text. Besides, even in this period, there were texts, albeit in a small number, that did not surrender to conformism and raised questions to society uncompromisingly. It should be important to note that methodological innovations were unfolding that made people forget about the framework of “conformism or non-conformism.” There was an emergence of images and sounds that were emotionally striking enough to blow away the frame of discussion on the “issue of xxx.”
