Col. Kato’s Hayabusa Fighter Squadron / Kato Hayabusa sento-tai (1944)

Released during the height of the war, this is clearly a propaganda film and is even labelled as such in the opening titles: a "national film" produced by the "Ministry of Information." As such it is a strange hybrid of a movie, not quite able to make up its mind whether it is a dramatic …

The War at Sea From Hawaii to Malay / Hawai — Maree oki kaisen (1942)

Made in 1942 when Japan saw all the Pacific being swept before it, The War at Sea is a remarkable movie, though more significant today as a social document than as an entertainment. Technically, it is a blend of news/propaganda footage, studio live action, and model work, handled with competence if not flair by the …