JAPAN DOLPHIN HUNT FILM TRIGGERS CENSORSHIP DEBATE
Baku, July 3 (AZERTAC). Controversy over "The Cove," an Oscar-winning documentary about the annual dolphin hunt in a Japanese village, has widened into a debate over free speech in the country.
Three theaters last week canceled showings of the movie after they were swamped with angry phone calls and threatened with noisy protests by nationalist groups. It was banned on a U.S. military base in Japan as too controversial, and 23 other theaters are still deciding whether to show the film, according to Japanese distributor Unplugged.
After the cancellations, a group of Japanese journalists, academics and film directors signed a letter urging the theaters not to back down and saying the issue "underlines the weakness of freedom of speech in Japan."
Freedom of speech is guaranteed in Japan`s constitution, but many Japanese are wary of unruly demonstrations.
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