This review may contain spoilers
Japan Sinks is not about Japan sinking
Japan Sinks is not about the actual sinking of Japan. Shocker! It never happened and is unlikely to happen any time soon. Everyone realizes this but it is never brought up due to being... well, quite obvious. So what is 'Japan Sinks' even about, then? Its an answer that seems equally obvious to the point where people ignore explaining *why* its about climate change but rather *how* it showcases this supposed theme. No, 'supposed' is an incorrect term to use here because Japan Sinks *is* about climate change and it doesn't attempt to hide this... but I'm here to argue that there's a lot more to chew on from another perspective - one that can only be understood under the context that Japan is a population in decline... quite literally.
But that's a strong stance to take, so how did I arrive to it and what makes the story more interesting from that perspective? I suppose the best way to prove my point is by analyzing its two most prominent (but not its only, as it delves into topics like capitalism disincentivizing an efficient response to incoming disasters) themes first, starting with its take on a climate change story.
Um... its alright, I guess! Nothing ground-breaking (pun intended) but it gets the job done in a sobering reminder that horrifying science fiction is a lot more analogous to our real-world circumstances than we like to think. in Japan Sinks, Japan sinks. [gasp] which is blatantly analogous for melting ice caps and the subsequent rising sea level that threatens many countries but especially those surrounded by the sea, such as Japan. Before this happens, however, the chance that Kanto sinks is made aware to the public by doctor Tadokoro and the government only looks into it after one man that's secretly sympathetic to Tadokoro's cries convinces his branch that the best way to soothe public morale would be to dispel the rumor... however, when its confirmed that the chance of Kanto sinking truly exists, this is covered up in an effort to prevent worsening morale that could impact Japan's economy. After all, Kanto is the bulk of industry within the country. Its an understandable motivation that doesn't render the antagonists comically evil (and thankfully they aren't treated as such) but it ultimately leads to the evacuation effort being delayed until this cover-up is found out and leaked prematurely to companies first, causing even more distrust in the government than would have otherwise occurred by valuing companies over human life. Its eventually revealed that all of Honshu will sink, and even the other islands are at risk of this... the others never actually end up sinking, but Honshu -- where most of Japan's population lives --does go under while only a portion of the country remains above the sea, something that's accurate to how rising sea levels actually work, even if the division of land isn't accurate whatsoever due to the circumstances being different here. Additionally, it is planned for the remaining Japanese citizens to push for a climate-friendly future in new cities across the world. Its clear that parallels exist here between real-world climate crisis, but again, its nothing particularly fascinating as it hits the notes of delayed response, building back from ruin, and an uncertain future similar to the Fukushima disaster more so than rising sea levels.
However, the Fukushima disaster is not what Japan Sinks is about either... no, its about Japan's lost decades! More specifically, this story is representative of the slow bleed-out during the Reiwa era. Now, if you are familiar with the original novel you are probably ready to point out how it was written during the end of the Showa era... which is absolutely true! However, what is an adaptation if not a way to bring source material to a new audience, and in this case, quite literally a 'new' audience as this released decades later and thus uses the story of Japan Sinks to tackle contemporary issues in Japanese society. You know the ones... a declining birth rate, aging population, weakening of the yen, late stage capitalism, a government that refuses to address the issues its country faces. While these issues are never tackled in Japan Sinks, you can still feel the acceptance of an inevitably bleak future where the Japanese islands slowly depopulate and lose their place on the world stage. Hey, I just lied by the way... that last issue is brought up directly as I stated earlier in the review. Its no secret that the government in Japan refuses to address its population decline in any meaningful way and using a double analogy for that and the delayed response for the Fukushima disaster is not only elegant but also gets across how much weight this incompetence holds.
Okay, I've set up my analysis and given an example of how its commentary on Fukushima works in tandem with its contemporary Reiwa themes... what else, though? Hey, I lied again... in fact, I'm a dirty little liar so you better get used to it. Here's my thesis: the sinking of Honshu is an analogy for the issues I outlined previously. The population loss aspect is obviously analogous, but what else can we draw from? First, I'd like to ask you how you think people react to an era of stagnation that never ends, one that only grows worse year-over-year and shows no sign of ever seeing a remedy due to the incompetence of those in charge of creating one. How do you have a child in a country like that? Scratch that, how do you grow up in a country like that? You don't, its enticing to leave your country which is an issue that only compounds on itself. The population ages, which causes the birth rate to decline, which causes the labor force to shrink, which causes burden on the youth, which causes them to flee, which causes the cycle to loop in on itself over and over. I'm not Japanese, but its pretty easy to imagine how this can make someone from the country feel... like its sinking into irrelevance on the world stage slowly but surely, and as people flee the country it only speeds up the collapse (represented through the sinking of Honshu accelerating as evacuation efforts do, even if they aren't literally connected). I don't think anyone believes that Japan will literally have 0 people someday, it is rich land with millions of people and Japan Sinks addresses this by only sinking the main island of Honshu... most of what made Japan the richest country and most powerful country in the continent is suddenly gone... eerily representative of today as it slowly drains people. Perhaps the sinking of Japan is not so dramatic or sudden in real life, but its an undeniable fact that the country has reached its peak and will continue a slow decline.
Japan Sinks proposes three solutions.
Solution 1 - Immigration
As to be expected, the citizens are evacuated to other countries and continue to uphold Japanese traditions across the globe in these sort of sanctuary cities. There are fears about culture staying relevant when moving to an entirely new home, but the writers believe that cultures can survive alongside each other and, ultimately, people believe in the greater good in times of crisis regardless of race or culture. This is interesting from the angle of leaving Japan to escape its stagnation but also also a criticism of the Japanese government having extremely strict immigration (which worsens the decline) under this notion that it'll help "protect Japanese culture". It's also incredibly fitting that a pandemic plot starts in the final episode as Japanese citizens immigrate, sparking fears that they will not be accepted across the world due to spreading a disease... sound familiar? Its similar to what led to increasingly violent rhetoric against Asian people in the west during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Solution 2 - Sink with Japan
Many people--especially the elderly--choose to go down with the ship, so to speak. Either they don't believe Japan will actually sink or they are so deep in their nationalism that they'd rather die than live in another country. I do not think this choice was a coincidence considering nationalism and conspiracy theories are more prevalent in the older generations, including in Japan.
Solution 3 - Rebuild Japan
The story ends in a way I didn't expect... Japan does not entirely sink! The main character and doctor Tadokoro choose to stay in Hokkaido and continue their work. Their new objective? Rebuild Japan to be more sustainable. In universe, this obviously means environmental sustainability but when read through an analysis of this sort--or even within the story itself in certain cases--you can make the argument that this represents addressing the actual underlying issues the country faces. I imagine that the 'lost decades' period would end with the sinking of Honshu in this world and a new era would emerge, not necessarily because the conditions improved or they recovered any land, but because a new shift towards designing the world so that it truly does end up becoming better than it is today. If Heisei is the 'peaceful' era that refused to act, Reiwa may just be the 'hopeful' era as its name suggests. Lets pray that this is the case.
There is more I would like to talk about in regards to how the show is framed only through a Japanese perspective--you never see how the world reacts unless a Japanese citizen is actively monitoring it--or how I have critiques with it not giving enough weight to the deaths caused by staying within the country, but ultimately? Japan Sinks is a great show that stands on its own, separately from the novel its based on... and I believe it deserves more recognition than it gets because it is so much more than a tired warning about climate change and commentary on the Fukushima disaster's relief effort. Thank you for reading my review.
But that's a strong stance to take, so how did I arrive to it and what makes the story more interesting from that perspective? I suppose the best way to prove my point is by analyzing its two most prominent (but not its only, as it delves into topics like capitalism disincentivizing an efficient response to incoming disasters) themes first, starting with its take on a climate change story.
Um... its alright, I guess! Nothing ground-breaking (pun intended) but it gets the job done in a sobering reminder that horrifying science fiction is a lot more analogous to our real-world circumstances than we like to think. in Japan Sinks, Japan sinks. [gasp] which is blatantly analogous for melting ice caps and the subsequent rising sea level that threatens many countries but especially those surrounded by the sea, such as Japan. Before this happens, however, the chance that Kanto sinks is made aware to the public by doctor Tadokoro and the government only looks into it after one man that's secretly sympathetic to Tadokoro's cries convinces his branch that the best way to soothe public morale would be to dispel the rumor... however, when its confirmed that the chance of Kanto sinking truly exists, this is covered up in an effort to prevent worsening morale that could impact Japan's economy. After all, Kanto is the bulk of industry within the country. Its an understandable motivation that doesn't render the antagonists comically evil (and thankfully they aren't treated as such) but it ultimately leads to the evacuation effort being delayed until this cover-up is found out and leaked prematurely to companies first, causing even more distrust in the government than would have otherwise occurred by valuing companies over human life. Its eventually revealed that all of Honshu will sink, and even the other islands are at risk of this... the others never actually end up sinking, but Honshu -- where most of Japan's population lives --does go under while only a portion of the country remains above the sea, something that's accurate to how rising sea levels actually work, even if the division of land isn't accurate whatsoever due to the circumstances being different here. Additionally, it is planned for the remaining Japanese citizens to push for a climate-friendly future in new cities across the world. Its clear that parallels exist here between real-world climate crisis, but again, its nothing particularly fascinating as it hits the notes of delayed response, building back from ruin, and an uncertain future similar to the Fukushima disaster more so than rising sea levels.
However, the Fukushima disaster is not what Japan Sinks is about either... no, its about Japan's lost decades! More specifically, this story is representative of the slow bleed-out during the Reiwa era. Now, if you are familiar with the original novel you are probably ready to point out how it was written during the end of the Showa era... which is absolutely true! However, what is an adaptation if not a way to bring source material to a new audience, and in this case, quite literally a 'new' audience as this released decades later and thus uses the story of Japan Sinks to tackle contemporary issues in Japanese society. You know the ones... a declining birth rate, aging population, weakening of the yen, late stage capitalism, a government that refuses to address the issues its country faces. While these issues are never tackled in Japan Sinks, you can still feel the acceptance of an inevitably bleak future where the Japanese islands slowly depopulate and lose their place on the world stage. Hey, I just lied by the way... that last issue is brought up directly as I stated earlier in the review. Its no secret that the government in Japan refuses to address its population decline in any meaningful way and using a double analogy for that and the delayed response for the Fukushima disaster is not only elegant but also gets across how much weight this incompetence holds.
Okay, I've set up my analysis and given an example of how its commentary on Fukushima works in tandem with its contemporary Reiwa themes... what else, though? Hey, I lied again... in fact, I'm a dirty little liar so you better get used to it. Here's my thesis: the sinking of Honshu is an analogy for the issues I outlined previously. The population loss aspect is obviously analogous, but what else can we draw from? First, I'd like to ask you how you think people react to an era of stagnation that never ends, one that only grows worse year-over-year and shows no sign of ever seeing a remedy due to the incompetence of those in charge of creating one. How do you have a child in a country like that? Scratch that, how do you grow up in a country like that? You don't, its enticing to leave your country which is an issue that only compounds on itself. The population ages, which causes the birth rate to decline, which causes the labor force to shrink, which causes burden on the youth, which causes them to flee, which causes the cycle to loop in on itself over and over. I'm not Japanese, but its pretty easy to imagine how this can make someone from the country feel... like its sinking into irrelevance on the world stage slowly but surely, and as people flee the country it only speeds up the collapse (represented through the sinking of Honshu accelerating as evacuation efforts do, even if they aren't literally connected). I don't think anyone believes that Japan will literally have 0 people someday, it is rich land with millions of people and Japan Sinks addresses this by only sinking the main island of Honshu... most of what made Japan the richest country and most powerful country in the continent is suddenly gone... eerily representative of today as it slowly drains people. Perhaps the sinking of Japan is not so dramatic or sudden in real life, but its an undeniable fact that the country has reached its peak and will continue a slow decline.
Japan Sinks proposes three solutions.
Solution 1 - Immigration
As to be expected, the citizens are evacuated to other countries and continue to uphold Japanese traditions across the globe in these sort of sanctuary cities. There are fears about culture staying relevant when moving to an entirely new home, but the writers believe that cultures can survive alongside each other and, ultimately, people believe in the greater good in times of crisis regardless of race or culture. This is interesting from the angle of leaving Japan to escape its stagnation but also also a criticism of the Japanese government having extremely strict immigration (which worsens the decline) under this notion that it'll help "protect Japanese culture". It's also incredibly fitting that a pandemic plot starts in the final episode as Japanese citizens immigrate, sparking fears that they will not be accepted across the world due to spreading a disease... sound familiar? Its similar to what led to increasingly violent rhetoric against Asian people in the west during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Solution 2 - Sink with Japan
Many people--especially the elderly--choose to go down with the ship, so to speak. Either they don't believe Japan will actually sink or they are so deep in their nationalism that they'd rather die than live in another country. I do not think this choice was a coincidence considering nationalism and conspiracy theories are more prevalent in the older generations, including in Japan.
Solution 3 - Rebuild Japan
The story ends in a way I didn't expect... Japan does not entirely sink! The main character and doctor Tadokoro choose to stay in Hokkaido and continue their work. Their new objective? Rebuild Japan to be more sustainable. In universe, this obviously means environmental sustainability but when read through an analysis of this sort--or even within the story itself in certain cases--you can make the argument that this represents addressing the actual underlying issues the country faces. I imagine that the 'lost decades' period would end with the sinking of Honshu in this world and a new era would emerge, not necessarily because the conditions improved or they recovered any land, but because a new shift towards designing the world so that it truly does end up becoming better than it is today. If Heisei is the 'peaceful' era that refused to act, Reiwa may just be the 'hopeful' era as its name suggests. Lets pray that this is the case.
There is more I would like to talk about in regards to how the show is framed only through a Japanese perspective--you never see how the world reacts unless a Japanese citizen is actively monitoring it--or how I have critiques with it not giving enough weight to the deaths caused by staying within the country, but ultimately? Japan Sinks is a great show that stands on its own, separately from the novel its based on... and I believe it deserves more recognition than it gets because it is so much more than a tired warning about climate change and commentary on the Fukushima disaster's relief effort. Thank you for reading my review.
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