The occupation of Japan would have a significant impact on the direction
of Japanese cinema. Traditional Japanese films dealing with issues of honour,
feudal loyalty and community were largely banned in favour of a more
‘democratic’ product modelled on the lines of Hollywood cinema. Often this
would be expressed as a conflict between the pre-modern and the modern, the
Japanese ie system and the democratic values of the West. The domestic drama
was perhaps the most open to Hollywood influence, as it was the least traditional
of Japanese film genres (Freiberg 2000). In addition to this, audiences
would have been widely exposed to American films as they premiered on
double bills with Japanese films. As in Hollywood, film was carefully policed by
a set of regulations, which were introduced in Japan in 1917. These regulations
were put in place to ensure that no film would in any way at all undermine the
emperor; contain obscene references; focus on inappropriate sexual relationships
between people; and show criminal violence. In 1925, responsibility for
ensuring the propriety of Japanese film and its adherence to the regulations
was placed under the control of the Ministry of the Interior.