ASIA / PACIFIC
August 18, 2014
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 3
Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno stars in Manila
WARM FILIPINO WELCOME. Cast members
from the Japanese film Rurouni Kenshin — from left,
Takeru Satoh, Emi Takei, and Munetaka Aoki — ges-
ture prior to the premiere screening of the film at a
mall cinema in Mandaluyong city, east of Manila, the
Philippines. Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno is the
second live action film and the first to be premiered
outside Japan. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
By Teresa Cerojano
The Associated Press
ANILA, The Philippines —
Japanese lead actor Takeru
Satoh of the hit movie Rurouni
Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno thanked Filipino
fans for a warm welcome, saying he hopes
the film will pave the way for more
Japanese movies to be shown in the
Philippines.
The stars and director of the movie
travelled to the Philippines for the film’s
Asian premiere earlier this month.
Satoh said it was difficult to think of
what film to make next. But he said he
hopes to “create some great movies” again
with Keishi Otomo, the director of the
Kenshin trilogy.
Filipino fans loudly cheered Satoh,
actress Emi Takei, actor Munetaka Aoki,
and Otomo as they arrived on the red
carpet before the screening at SM
Megamall.
Satoh told a news conference that the
M
everyone can appreciate it.” But he said
the movie also shows the intricacies of
Japanese culture in hopes that people will
appreciate and understand them.
Satoh, who practiced three months prior
movie about Kenshin Himura, a legendary
assassin-turned-conflicted-hero
during
Japan’s Meiji era, may have appealed to
Filipino and other Asian fans because
action movies have “one language,
to shooting his intense sword-fighting
scenes, said he was injured many times
during the filming. Aoki said he lost a tooth
but did not mind it.
The fast-action film by Warner Bros.
Japan begins its regular run in the country
on August 20. It is the first of a two-part
finale of the franchise based on the hit
Japanese comic, or manga, called Rurouni
Kenshin.
The action and drama film is about a
once-feared swordsman during the
turbulent fall of Japan’s shogunate in the
19th century who adopts a peaceful life
after the arrival of Japan’s “new age.” It
has captivated fans in the Philippines and
other parts of Asia.
q
Nearly 5 million signatures collected in support of changing Myanmar charter
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — The party
of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
has collected nearly 5 million signatures in
support
of
changing
Myanmar’s
military-drafted constitution and chal-
lenging the military’s dominance in parlia-
ment.
An article in the 2008 constitution
requires 75 percent parliamentary
approval to amend major chapters of
the charter, but with the military
occupying 25 percent of the seats, any
major constitutional change will be a
hurdle.
Another clause prevents Suu Kyi from
becoming president.
Her party’s campaign to change the
article requiring the 75 percent approval
garnered 4,941,998 signatures from May
27 to July 19.
National League for Democracy (NLD)
party spokesman U Nyan Win said the
campaign for signatures was successful
despite pressure and intimidation by
authorities to those who signed, as well as
difficult access to villages in the rainy
season.
“Being able to garner nearly 5 million
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signatures was a success. Even some
government servants and soldiers
participated in the campaign,” Nyan Win
said at a news conference at the party’s
headquarters.
Suu Kyi said the current constitution
needs to be amended to meet democratic
norms and that the constitutional
amendment is essential for a free and fair
2015 election.
The Nobel peace laureate called for a
meeting with President Thein Sein,
commander in chief, and parliament
speaker Thura Shwe Mann to discuss the
constitutional amendment, but all parties
have shown little interest in the process.
Prominent student activist Ko Ko Gyi
said the campaign was “the first step
toward charter amendment” and hoped
“the
parliament
will
take
into
consideration the aspirations of five
million people.”
The party will submit the list of
signatures to parliament. Most members
of the committee tasked with amendments
belong to the military-allied party so it is
unclear how the NLD’s campaign will
succeed.