[quote="Prime Minister Koizumi]For the first time in quite a while I saw a Japanese film last week. It was "Semishigure" based on the novel by Shuhei Fujisawa. It takes place in Tohoku region during the Edo period and is a story about the love and friendship of a young samurai. Starring Somegoro Ichikawa and Yoshino Kimura, this film depicts the modest mentality of the Japanese people often forgotten in today's fast-paced society. I was so drawn into the story that I lost all sense of time. I was also enthralled by the breathtaking sceneries of all four seasons of the Shonai region in Yamagata Prefecture where the film was shot, as well as by the beautiful music which added further depth to the film. I would also like to give credit to the performance of the child actors who played the younger versions of the two main characters.
The leading actress Yoshino Kimura has served as the first Goodwill Ambassador to Promote Tourism. Ms. Kimura is also serving as the Goodwill Ambassador to Promote the Japan-ROK Joint Exchange Year this year, which marks the 40th anniversary of the normalization of relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK), and as such has been designated as the "Japan-Korea Friendship Year 2005." Ms. Kimura admirably played her role of a Japanese woman with elegance and purity, both of heart and deed. I am sure that this is a film that would be popular amongst the Korean people and elsewhere in the world.[/quote]