Tokyo Film Festival's 39th Edition Opens With Rain, Policy and Sukiyaki

The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival opened in Ginza on October 31 under the last rains of Typhoon Champi, 2026's strongest storm, with Japan's government framing cinema as a 20-trillion-yen industry target. The festival runs until Wednesday, November 4.

The extratropical depression aftereffects of Champi delivered what one attending correspondent described as "a ceaseless drip of rain" on opening night — weather the festival itself embraced as part of the texture of its 39th edition. Stylishly dressed actors and filmmakers carried umbrellas to the ceremony at Hulic Hall, where talent appeared onstage, accepted applause and took seats without remarks — a low-key departure from the fraught seat-hunting rituals of typical festival openers.

What did the government say?

The evening's most policy-heavy moment came from Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. He called for Japan "to respond swiftly and flexibly with the necessary policy measures" to reach 20 trillion yen — roughly $126.7 billion — in content sales by 2033.

Akazawa also touted the festival's Japanese debut of Godzilla Minus Zero, the latest entry in the country's most beloved franchise and a likely international awards contender, as "creating new value and opening up new markets." A recorded introduction from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi repeated the 20-trillion-yen figure, noting that film falls within Japan's 17 strategic sectors.

The takeaway: Japan openly ties its film industry to national economic strategy, with hard numbers attached.

Who is Takahisa Zeze?

The ceremony closed with a screening of Takahisa Zeze's Sukiyaki, a 155-minute biopic of Kyu Sakamoto's Billboard-topping 1961 song "Ue o Muite Arukō." Zeze began his career in Japan's pornographic pink films, moved through crime, thriller and horror pictures, and has aged into something of an elder statesman.

The correspondent, who will publish an interview with the director next week, called Sukiyaki a "breezy-enough 155 minutes that makes charming, sometimes truly moving drama from three men's musical legacies." The film bears both the expectations of a festival-opening music biopic and the strength of Zeze's sensibilities.

The takeaway: Japan's biggest festival opened with a film by a director whose career path would be largely impossible in the American industry — preceded by straight-faced appearances from cabinet-level politicians.

What comes next?

The 39th edition of the Tokyo International Film Festival continues through November 4, with the correspondent's interview with Zeze expected the following week.