Japan’s government and people cheered the record trophy haul for period drama “Shogun” at the Emmy Awards as yet another win for their history and culture, which are becoming increasingly popular with tourists and international audiences alike.
The historical epic set in Imperial Japan claimed 19 awards, the most ever for a single drama season, including best drama and acting awards for leads Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai.
Another Japanese period piece, “Blue Eye Samurai”, won an Emmy for the best animated programme.
The government welcomed the achievement, and highlighted that 70% of the dialogue in “Shogun” was in Japanese and that Sanada, who played the lead warlord Yoshii Toranaga, was involved in its production.
“We would like to further encourage Japanese creators to take on the challenges of overseas productions,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshi Moriya told reporters.
The Japanese government also set up a committee this month to support the entertainment and content industries, he said.
The accolades for “Shogun” are the latest showcase of Japan’s rising prominence on the global stage.
In March, the monster movie epic “Godzilla Minus One” nabbed a visual effects Oscar after becoming a sleeper hit in U.S. theatres, while HBO’s critically acclaimed noir crime series “Tokyo Vice” finished its second and last season in April.
(Reuters)