Japan claims victories at Oscars

At the 81st Academy Awards held on Sunday in Los Angeles, Japanese films went two-for-two as both nominees walked away with a prize. The bigger winner was Yojiro Takita’s “Okuribito” (“Departures”), winning the title of Best Foreign Language Film. The critically-acclaimed movie has already won a total of 60 awards at home, including 10 in the Japan Academy Awards.

However, this Oscar is a perhaps an even more remarkable achievement, given that “Okuribito” is the first Japanese film to win the award since it was established as a competitive prize in 1956.

Kunio Kato’s “Tsumiki no Ie” (“La Maison En Petits Cubes”) won Best Animated Short Film, the first Japanese win in that category. The last Japanese animated movie to win an Academy Award was when Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” took Best Animated Feature Film in 2003.

This is only the second time that Japanese films have won two awards in the same year. The first was in 1955, when Teinosuke Kinugasa’s “Jigokumon” (“Gate of Hell”) won Best Color Costume Design and the honorary award of “best foreign language film first released in the United States during 1954.”

Source:
Sports Hochi