# The Sinking of Japan (日本沈没)
**The Sinking of Japan** (日本沈没, *Nihon Chinbotsu*, literally "Japan Sinks") is a 2006 Japanese tokusatsu disaster film directed by Shinji Higuchi, in which scientists discover that rapid subsidence of the seabed plates will destroy the Japanese archipelago within a year[1](https://www.wordandfilm.com/adaptation/japan-sinks-2006/) • [2](https://jfdb.jp/title/470). It adapts Sakyo Komatsu's 1973 novel *Japan Sinks* and remakes the 1973 film of the same title, moving the story to the present day with new characters[1](https://www.wordandfilm.com/adaptation/japan-sinks-2006/) • [3](https://www.stardustpictures.co.jp/movie/nihonchinbostu.html). The film was produced by a committee led by TBS and Toho, distributed by Toho, and released in Japan on July 15, 2006[2](https://jfdb.jp/title/470) • [4](https://eiga.com/movie/1566/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Japanese title / literal meaning | 日本沈没 (*Nihon Chinbotsu*), "Japan Sinks"[1](https://www.wordandfilm.com/adaptation/japan-sinks-2006/) |
| Release | July 15, 2006, Japan; 135 minutes; Toho[2](https://jfdb.jp/title/470) • [4](https://eiga.com/movie/1566/) |
| Director / writer | Shinji Higuchi; screenplay by Masato Kato, from Sakyo Komatsu's 1973 novel[2](https://jfdb.jp/title/470) |
| Lead cast | Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (submarine pilot Toshio Onodera), Ko Shibasaki (rescue worker Reiko Abe), Etsushi Toyokawa (Dr. Yusuke Tadokoro), Mao Daichi[5](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/movie/sinking-of-japan) |
| Premise | Rapid sinking of the seabed plates means the Japanese archipelago will vanish within one year; magnitude-8 earthquakes strike in succession[2](https://jfdb.jp/title/470) • [4](https://eiga.com/movie/1566/) |
| Box office | Worldwide gross of $47,636,016; about 1 million admissions in South Korea[6](https://thefilmaholic.com/film/japan-sinks-2006) • [7](https://www.tbsholdings.co.jp/pdf/annual/annual_j07.pdf) |
| Ratings | IMDb 5.6/10; Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 29% (1 review)[6](https://thefilmaholic.com/film/japan-sinks-2006) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nihon_chinbotsu) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and plot
The story begins with a major earthquake, and scientists led by the earth scientist Dr. Yusuke Tadokoro conclude that the seabed plates beneath Japan are sinking so quickly that most of the archipelago will be under the sea within a year[5](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/movie/sinking-of-japan) • [2](https://jfdb.jp/title/470). Magnitude-8 class earthquakes occur in succession around the time the prediction is announced[4](https://eiga.com/movie/1566/). As further disasters follow, politicians plead with other countries to accept Japanese refugees while scientists work on ways to save the country itself[5](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/movie/sinking-of-japan).
The 2006 film supplies a new scientific mechanism for the catastrophe: an investigation finds that the seabed plate is subsiding rapidly because of the generation of bacteria[9](https://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/detail.aspx?cinema_id=37559). The TBS catalog synopsis frames the stakes as a race toward an "X-Day" on which 127 million Japanese must find somewhere to flee, with a submarine pilot making the ultimate sacrifice to save his country and the woman he loves[10](https://www.tbscontents.com/en/program/shinkingofjapan).
The opening sequence shows the city of Numazu in [Shizuoka Prefecture](https://www.edgepedia.org/shizuoka-prefecture) reduced to flaming ruins two hours after an earthquake strikes beneath Suruga Bay. The shy oceanographer Toshio Onodera (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) is rescued from the wreckage by Reiko (Ko Shibasaki), a rescue worker in the fire department's special rescue unit who was herself orphaned by an earthquake years earlier[11](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/sinking-of-japan-film-review-by-anton-bitel). Reviewer Mark Schilling notes that Onodera's submarine is named Wadatsumi, a reference to a famous collection of letters by college students who flew as kamikaze pilots in World War II[12](https://apjjf.org/mark-schilling/2188/article).
## The novel and the 1973 film
Sakyo Komatsu published the novel *Nihon Chinbotsu* in March 1973. In Komatsu's conception, Japan is not stomped by giant monsters but literally sinks, as a collision of two tectonic plates causes the one supporting the archipelago to buckle under, producing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that kill millions and force the evacuation of the entire country[12](https://apjjf.org/mark-schilling/2188/article). The novel became a monster bestseller against the backdrop of the 1973 oil crisis, which had caused economic confusion and social anxiety[13](https://apjjf.org/ide-kazuko/2228/article).
Toho quickly produced a film version directed by Shiro Moritani, spending a then-stupendous ¥500 million. Released for the [New Year](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-year)'s season, it grossed ¥4 billion on 6.5 million admissions, numbers that put even Godzilla, another Toho property, in the shade[12](https://apjjf.org/mark-schilling/2188/article). The film ran 140 minutes and was cut to 110 minutes, then to 81 minutes for some markets[14](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/nippon_chinbotsu). In the 1973 story, changes within the Earth's core cause the islands of [Japan](https://www.edgepedia.org/japan-epzdpsev89) to sink over a period of two years; other countries are reluctant to accept millions of homeless Japanese, although Australia offers its [Northern Territory](https://www.edgepedia.org/northern-territory) as a new Japanese homeland[14](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/nippon_chinbotsu).
The film was later released in the United States in a heavily edited version called *Tidal Wave*, with [Lorne Greene](https://www.edgepedia.org/lorne-greene) inserted as the US president[12](https://apjjf.org/mark-schilling/2188/article). A contemporary review describes the Western cut as marketed by [Roger Corman](https://www.edgepedia.org/roger-corman)'s New World Pictures, with new sequences directed by Andrew Meyer and added appearances by several American actors[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nihon_chinbotsu). A television drama with some of the film's cast continued in 1974, the year the film recorded the number-one distribution income among Japanese films[15](https://www.cinematoday.jp/page/A0007343).
## The 2006 remake
The remake was Higuchi Shinji's debut as a feature film director, following his work as special effects director on the Heisei Gamera trilogy and on *Lorelei* (2005)[4](https://eiga.com/movie/1566/) • [9](https://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/detail.aspx?cinema_id=37559). The screenplay is by Masato Kato, the music by Taro Iwashiro, and the theme song "Keep Holding U" is performed by SunMin thanX Kubota[3](https://www.stardustpictures.co.jp/movie/nihonchinbostu.html). Production companies include TBS, Toho, Sedic International, Dentsu, J-dream, S·D·P, MBS, Shogakukan, and Mainichi Shimbun[2](https://jfdb.jp/title/470).
The largest technical difference from 1973 is the use of computer graphics: the 1973 version relied on miniature work, compositing, and stunt-based Showa-era special effects, while the 2006 version incorporates CG extensively[15](https://www.cinematoday.jp/page/A0007343). The remake was made after the [Great Hanshin earthquake](https://www.edgepedia.org/great-hanshin-earthquake), a direct urban earthquake disaster, and redepicts collapsing cities and ordinary people caught in them[15](https://www.cinematoday.jp/page/A0007343). The WOWOW synopsis characterizes the remake's approach as leaning into Hollywood-style entertainment, emphasizing an adventure flavor in the question of how the sinking could be stopped, and finding support among younger audiences[16](https://www.wowow.co.jp/detail/020002).
An earlier attempt at a remake, a project titled *Japan Sinks 1999* with director Kazuki Omori and largely settled staff and cast, was abandoned because the CG technology planned for it was not yet mature[15](https://www.cinematoday.jp/page/A0007343).
## Reception and box office
The 2006 film recorded a worldwide gross of $47,636,016[6](https://thefilmaholic.com/film/japan-sinks-2006). In South Korea, where it was released, it became an unusual hit for a Japanese film, drawing 1 million admissions[7](https://www.tbsholdings.co.jp/pdf/annual/annual_j07.pdf). On IMDb it holds a 5.6/10 rating from about 1,600 votes[6](https://thefilmaholic.com/film/japan-sinks-2006), and Rotten Tomatoes lists a 29% Tomatometer from a single review[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nihon_chinbotsu). Anton Bitel's review for Eye for Film judged that the film grabs attention with its opening sequence but struggles to hold it over its long duration, while criticizing Taro Iwashiro's score[11](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/sinking-of-japan-film-review-by-anton-bitel).
## Later adaptations
The property returned to screens as *Japan Sinks 2020*, a 10-episode Netflix original anime series directed by [Masaaki Yuasa](https://www.edgepedia.org/masaaki-yuasa)[15](https://www.cinematoday.jp/page/A0007343). The anime departs from a straight adaptation of the novel, bringing its own interpretation and new perspectives, and updates the disaster to something Japanese viewers who experienced the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake can readily imagine[15](https://www.cinematoday.jp/page/A0007343). Higuchi himself, ten years after the 2006 film, directed *Shin Godzilla* (2016), informed by the experience of that earthquake[15](https://www.cinematoday.jp/page/A0007343).
## References
1. [Japan Sinks (2006) — Which Book Is It Based On?, Word & Film](https://www.wordandfilm.com/adaptation/japan-sinks-2006/)
2. [JFDB — 日本沈没 (Sinking of Japan), Japanese Film Database](https://jfdb.jp/title/470)
3. [「日本沈没」, Stardust Pictures (S·D·P)](https://www.stardustpictures.co.jp/movie/nihonchinbostu.html)
4. [日本沈没 (2006年映画), 映画.com](https://eiga.com/movie/1566/)
5. [Where to Watch Sinking of Japan (2006) Online, Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/movie/sinking-of-japan)
6. [Japan Sinks (2006), The Filmaholic](https://thefilmaholic.com/film/japan-sinks-2006)
7. [TBS Holdings Annual Report 2007](https://www.tbsholdings.co.jp/pdf/annual/annual_j07.pdf)
8. [Sinking of Japan, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nihon_chinbotsu)
9. [日本沈没(2006), KINENOTE](https://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/detail.aspx?cinema_id=37559)
10. [SINKING OF JAPAN, TBS Program Catalog](https://www.tbscontents.com/en/program/shinkingofjapan)
11. [Sinking Of Japan (2006) Movie Review, Eye for Film](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/sinking-of-japan-film-review-by-anton-bitel)
12. [Mark Schilling, "The Sinking of Japan," Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus (2006)](https://apjjf.org/mark-schilling/2188/article)
13. [Ide Kazuko, "Japan Sinking? Sequel to 1970s Novel finds Japan Sunk and the Japanese Scattered," Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus (2006)](https://apjjf.org/ide-kazuko/2228/article)
14. [SFE: Nippon Chinbotsu, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/nippon_chinbotsu)
15. [ディザスタームービーの金字塔『日本沈没』とアニメ「日本沈没2020」を徹底比較, シネマトゥデイ](https://www.cinematoday.jp/page/A0007343)
16. [日本沈没 (2006), WOWOWオンライン](https://www.wowow.co.jp/detail/020002)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Disaster films*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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