Naoki Hyakuta
| Naoki Hyakuta 百田 尚樹 |
|
|---|---|
| Born | Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka, Japan |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | Japanese |
Naoki Hyukata (百田 尚樹 Hyakuta Naoki?, born February 23, 1956) is a Japanese author and screenwriter. He is particularly known for his 2006 novel The Eternal Zero, which became a popular 2013 film, his controversial period as a governor of government broadcaster NHK, as well as his nationalistic comments denying that the Nanking Massacre ever happened.
Hyakuta has written a number of books. Several have been turned into films, such as Bokkusu and Monsuta.
In 2006 Hyakuta's novel "The Eternal Zero" was published. It became a best-seller, with four million copies sold. It was made into a popular 2013 movie. The novel was criticised by famed Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki as being "a pack of lies" about the war, leading to Hyakuta speculating that Miyazaki "wasn't right in the head".
In 2013 Hyakuta was selected by Shinzō Abe as one of 12 members of the board of governors of Japan's national broadcaster, NHK, in 2013. This came after the re-election of the Liberal Democratic Party led by Abe. Hyukata had supported in his bid to re-assume leadership of the LDP the previous year. The selection of Hyakuta as an NHK governor caused some criticism, but the diet approved Hyakuta's appointment in November 2013, His historical views denying the Nanking Massacre sparked extended controversy after his speech in support of Toshio Tamogami's bid for the Tokyo governorship in 2014 bought renewed attention to his rightist views. He resigned as a governor in 2015.
During a speech on March 3, 2014, in support of Toshio Tamogami's bid for the governorship of Tokyo, Hyakuta stated that the Nanking Massacre "never happened", and stated that the Tokyo War Crimes Trials were a "sham" to cover up US war crimes such as firebombing and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He also stated that he didn't see a need to teach such things to children, as they should be taught what a great country Japan is. He said that claims about the Nanking massacre were bought up at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunals only to cancel out the crimes the US had committed. A press officer at the US embassy in Tokyo described Hyakuta's views as "preposterous".
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