Opening scene shows several Japanese soldiers firing a 105mm cannon in a field. Soldiers firing small arms from a trench. A messenger dog carrying a pouch through smoke. It contains ammunition that soldiers remove in a trench where the dog delivered it. Soldiers in prone positions, reloading rifles in smoke from surrounding fire. Messenger dog seen again running through the haze. Japanese artillerymen firing Type 38 75 mm Field Gun. Battery of several firing nearby. A Japanese Army 90-series bi-plane flies overhead and drops a small object by a small parachute. A Japanese Renault FT camouflaged tank moves across the field. Japanese officers observing through binoculars. Two soldiers run carrying a Type 3 Heavy Machine Gun and set it up next to another in the field. Smoke rising from several spots in the field. Cavalry charge across the field. Artillerymen load and fire a 75mm field piece. Smoke rising behind several corn stalks. An airplane drops another small object by parachute. A Renault tankette moves across the field. More cavalry in the field. A Type 89 medium tank I-Go moves at high speed past the camera, raising smoke in its wake.
Japanese infantry are seen in live fire exercises during the winter. They fire small arms and machine guns as they advance from point to point across snow-covered fields. Japanese soldiers firing a machine gun from a position hidden beneath frozen snow-covered foliage. Japanese soldiers climbing the roof of a building and knocking down its brick chimney to gain a protected firing position. Several views of Japanese troops firing the guns on their Type 89 Yi-Go tanks, as they advance in the snow. The tanks running through barbed wire defenses and maneuvering. Closeups of tank negotiating deep ditch and climbing hill in snow. Scene shifts away from snowy conditions to Japanese infantry and mounted cavalry exercises in fields and woods. Cavalry enter a wooded area. Infantry run across fields, and ignite smoke screen generators. Soon white smoke obscures the scene. Soldiers fire from prone positions. Cavalry executes several charges across the fields, recorded by the camera from various points of view.
Film opens showing a Japanese Type 89 Yi-Go tank heading straight toward the camera. Next, mounted artillerymen ride up a hill with team of horses pulling caissons. More are seen passing trees, pulling caissons and Type 91, 105mm light field howitzers. They raise a lot of dust and they race across a barren stretch of land. Elsewhere, Several soldiers are seen with large canvases laid out on the ground. Small rolled up tents appear to be lined up on one canvas. Meanwhile, the artillerymen are starting to set up positions at various spots along the crest of a hill. Closeup of one of their horses. Next, batteries of anti-aircraft guns are seen pointing skyward, each surrounded by a team of about 10 soldiers, are seen firing. Kawasaki biwing aircraft fly overhead in formation, and the anti-aircraft guns are lowered as they pass. The guns are elevated again and resume firing. Scene shifts to the field artillery, where crews are manning the 105mm howitzers and firing them. Closeup of one of the gun crews in action. Shells are seen bursting on a sandy area near a shoreline in the distance. Some field artillery under camouflage nets. An army telegrapher sends messages with his key. Several soldiers at a field communications center also send messages. Two high wing monoplanes fly overhead. Closeup from behind Japanese artillery crew firing their field piece. More views of shells striking in distance. The guns under camouflage nets are seen firing. A huge explosion nearby throws large amounts of earth into the air. Views of the antiaircraft guns and crews dissolves into views of shells exploding. Two soldiers crawl along the ground, dragging a long pole with them. Soldiers jump up and abandon their position just before a big explosion occurs there. In final scene, several soldiers are running and shouting.
Japanese Army conducts military exercise. Artillery shells explode in the distance. Some raise white smoke, while others create craters and throw large amounts of earth into the air. Japanese soldiers run carrying rolled up canvases. From them they remove and inflate rubber rafts that they carry up over a hill and down to a shoreline. They jump into the rafts and paddle furiously toward an opposite shore. The national red ball flag (sun-mark flag) is displayed on one raft. Closeup of occupants in one raft. Machine gun fire is heard in the background. The rafts reach the opposite shore where the troops jump out and charge up a hill in smoke. View from camera located at defensive obstacle as the troops arrive there. They place sections of pontoon bridges over the obstacles and cross over them. Then they carry bridge sections down a steep embankment to another shoreline where they place them end-to-end in the water to form a serpentine floating bridge. Soldiers on each section maneuver them with long poles into position spanning the water to the next shore. Next, armed troops are seen running across the new pontoon bridge. Two of them carry a version of a Hotchkiss machine gun (licensed by Japan as their Type 3 Heavy Machine Gun). One of the last few soldiers crossing the bridge, carries the sun-mark flag.
General of the Imperial Japanese Army Baron Sadao Araki speaks for a while, with the National flag of Japan (Sun-mark flag) in the background. A group of Japanese hikers is seen on the windy slope of a snow-covered mountain. Camera pans across the snowy scene. Closeups of individual hikers, who seem intimidated by the prospect of continuing their journey. Next, they are seen climbing the mountain, using picks, and lifelines, in an experienced manner. As the leader reaches the summit, he secures their lifeline and assists those behind as they arrive. Shadow of the leader is cast on the snow at the summit. As they cross a Crevasse, one of the climbers falls in, but his descent is stopped by the lifeline. Others work securing the line and pulling him up. With their help, he gains footing up the side of the crevasse and climbs out. Scene shifts completely to the Palace of Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, home of the League of Nations. Inside, Japan's chief delegate, Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka, is seen objecting to the League's report charging Japan with responsibility for the hostilities in Manchuria. Animated map shows Europe with arrow pointing to Geneva, Switzerland. A cartoon explosion rises there and drifts East to encircle Japan in its smoke, transforming into a steel chain around Japan and environs. It shrinks, successively tightening its grip, choking Japan into its home islands, where the Japanese national Sun-mark flag flies. A train arrives at a crowded station. The crowd contains many persons displaying protest banners and waving small Japanese National flags. Many police are amongst the crowd, maintaining order. Next, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yosuke Matsuoka, arrives from Geneva to report to the Emperor and Government. He steps from a limousine, and walks across an esplanade, followed by many officials. He and they, all bow toward the Imperial Palace, as a photographer takes their picture. For a moment, Yosuke Matsuoka holds a handkerchief to his face as he proceeds across the esplanade. The animated map appears again, this time showing the encircling cartoon smoke ring looping out to enclose part of Manchuria, where the flag of Manchukuo now flies. Scene shifts back to the mountain climbers, who now are descending from the summit. View of clouds below them as they stand with arms raised celebrating their accomplishment with what appears to be three "Banzai" shouts. Final scene is a view from moving railroad train of Mount Fuji and other views of Mount Fuji.
A film narrated by General of the Imperial Japanese Army Baron Sadao Araki. Japanese flag in the background. National flags of Japan (Sun-mark flags) are seen on flag poles extending above a moving electric train and on the hood of an automobile. Front view of the train traveling along a rail line powered by overhead electrical wires, in an industrial area. A factory with smoke stacks visible in background. The train passes the camera and scene shifts to black smoke spewing from four metal smoke stacks. Then various industrial scenes are shown in rapid succession, including: a machine printing some sort of documents; an industrial crane raising a closed bucket high above the ground; view from bucket of a crane full of scrap metal being raised high in the air; an empty bucket being lowered by a crane; large shipping containers being offloaded from a ship to barges, below; longshoremen moving boxes of cargo at the port, and others carrying sacks of rice to small boats in a nearby river; a glimpse of a riveter at work; glimpse from above of moving industrial rail cars carrying liquid and bulk cargoes; ground-level views of passing railroad trains and a steam locomotive; a busy street with cars, numerous bicyclists (including one pulling a large cart loaded with boxes. Closeup of a man looking skyward, where a large flock of birds is seen. A group of laborers working in a field with hand tools, such as picks and shovels. Workers tending machinery in a fabric factory. Scene shifts back to General Baron Sadao Araki narrating, for a while, and then shows many factory workers by a large industrial plant, watching a military parade. The national flag flies from a tall flagpole in the factory yard. The color guard of the parading Japanese Imperial Army soldiers carries their rising sun flag and military unit flags. Another parade is seen on the esplanade of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Civilian marchers carry the Japanese national (Sun-mark) flag. People walk together on a street in a commercial district, displaying banners and flags. Boy Scouts parade through a gate of the Imperial Palace, carrying the National flag. An outdoor crowd of enthusiastic men listen to a speaker (unseen). A troop of Japanese soldiers pose with the National and Rising sun flags. School faculty pose in front of a large number of young women. Views downward on an outdoor crowd of cheering men. An outdoor theater, with audience seated on benches. Persons massed carrying flags, raise and lower them in unison. A huge gathering of young women, all dressed alike, outside a wall of the Imperial Palace, in Tokyo, which is seen in the background. Camera pans across them. Many uniformed men stand near the Seimon-tetsubashi Bridge to the Imperial Palace, in Tokyo. A conclave of uniformed Boy Scouts and leaders are seen saluting the Japanese National Flag. Closeup of some of them. A large gathering of Girl Scouts cheers three times, in unison. A gathering of uniformed soldiers with massed Rising Sun flags. More views of masses Rising Sun flags. People on a shore, all pulling together on a rope line. The setting sun.
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