Synopsis
In Henoko, the construction of the U.S. Marine Corps base continues despite the objections of 80% of Okinawans. In
Takae, the Government deployed over 1,000 riot police officers to facilitate the construction of MV-22 Osprey helipads.
Protests continue despite the injuries and arrests of protesters. Simultaneously there are plans to build Self Defense
Force missile sites and camps on Miyako and Ishigaki islands. But hosting a military facility also means that the islands
risk being a military target. And as proven in the Battle of Okinawa over 70 years ago, the military force doesn't
prioritize civilians' lives. The role of the protests is particularly urgent now as Japan has drastically changed its national
security policy. The people in this film are at the frontline of a battle for peace as they safeguard democracy. Also
woven into the film is the islands' rich culture with its nature and history.
~~~~~~~~~~~~The Targeted Island : A Shield Against Storms- Production year: March, 2017
- Theatrical release date (in Japan): 11th March, 2017
- Film Festival: Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 2017 – Special Invitation Film (Oct. 2017 / Japan)
Directer: Chie Mikami 三上智恵 [ "The Targeted Village" (13), "We Shall Overcome" (15) ]Producers: Yoshiko Hashimoto 橋本佳子, Shigeki Kinoshita 木下繁貴
Narrator: Chie Mikami 三上智恵 Cinematographer: Mamoru Hirata 平田守
Editor: Atsushi Sunagawa 砂川敦志 Assistant Director: Hideki Tobaru 桃原英樹
Production companies: DOCUMENTARY JAPAN, TOFOO FILMS, Chie Mikami
製作：ドキュメンタリージャパン、東風、三上智恵
Original title: Hyouteki no Shima : Kajikataka 標的の島 風かたか Official website: www.hyotekinoshima.com
2017｜Japan｜119 min｜HD, DCP｜Color/B&W © 2017 DOCUMENTARY JAPAN, TOFOO FILMS, Chie Mikami

Director’s Statement
On June 19, 2016 the most mournful rally in the history of Okinawa prefecture took place. 65,000 participants crammed
into an athletic field in the scorching sun. It was as though they burned with tormenting guilt and mortification. The
rally was in memory of a 20-year-old woman who was assaulted from behind when she was jogging. She died as theresult of being raped and her body was discarded in the woods. Numerous felonies have been committed by U.S.
service members in Okinawa. In 1995 when a 12-year-old girl was raped by three U.S. servicemen, the Okinawans
were determined that it would be the last crime of a similar nature. 21 years later a woman was murdered who'd beenborn around the time of the elementary schoolgirl's rape. Yet again the Okinawans were unable to protect one of theirchildren.
Early in the rally's proceedings, Misako Koja sang Warabigami/A Divine Child and I made a decision not to listen to
the lyrics. The song is about a mother's desire to keep her child safe. If I had listened to the lyrics, I knew I would havebeen too emotional to operate the camera. After the song, the mayor of Nago city, Susumu Inamine, referenced it inhis speech. "The expression kajikataka is used in the song. Yet again we failed to be the kajikataka to protect our child'slife." Kajikataka means a shield against the storm in the local dialect. He cried as he said this and many women wept
with him.
All parents wish to shield children against the world's turbulent storms. But how can they when the "storm" is theJapanese and American governments' oppression? With little chance of winning the fight, Okinawans stand in front oftrucks at the military base construction sites. Against all odds, they wish to be kajikataka, and shield their children's
future.
At the same time the rest of Japan wants to use Okinawa as a shield against unforeseeable threats. It gives them a senseof security. As the Government publicly denounces China, the Self Defense Force's missile units are to be deployedon Ishigaki, Miyako, Okinawa and Amami islands. The purpose of the Nansei Archipelago fortification is to stop
China's military advancement. Ironically the whole of Japan is America's shield against Chinese expansion according
to their Far East security doctrine.
The film tells the tale of a people whose lives are tumultuous with these three layers of kajikataka.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Director’s Profile
Chie Mikami is a journalist and director. Entering Mainichi Broadcasting System
as an announcer, she moved to Okinawa when Ryukyu Asahi Broadcasting Corp
was established in 1995. Concurrent with her duties as the main local news anchor,
she has produced numerous documentary programs on topics such as Okinawan
culture, nature, the Battle of Okinawa, and the issue of the U.S. military bases. Her
programs have won numerous broadcasting awards. Her first documentary film
“The Targeted Village” (2013) won both the Citizens' Prize and the Directors Guildof Japan Award at the 2013 Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival.
Her second documentary film “We Shall Overcome” (2015) was invited to the WideAngle Documentary Competition in Busan International Film Festival andYamagata Documentary Film Festival's International Competition. Besides being afilmmaker Mikami is a freelance journalist and an Okinawa folkloristics lecturer at
Okinawa International University.