Mainichi Shimbun Documentary Film '300 Meters Above Tokyo' to be Released in October, Questioning 'US Military Privileges' with Helicopters Flying Overhead

Poster for the film '300 Meters Above Tokyo'

Mainichi Shimbun Co., Ltd. has produced the feature-length documentary film '300 Meters Above Tokyo.' It is scheduled for sequential release nationwide, including at Pole Pole Higashi-Nakano (Nakano-ku, Tokyo), starting in October 2026. This co-production with director Atsushi Oogaki, who has worked on many visual works, sheds light on the reality of 'US military privileges' brought about by the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement and considers their 'true nature.' While an increasing number of newspapers are focusing on video distribution, a project to achieve theatrical release for a documentary film is unusual. Please pay attention to the resulting work.

Official Website for the Film '300 Meters Above Tokyo'

The question is, what is the state of this country?

The film primarily unfolds in Tokyo's US military facility 'Akasaka Press Center' in Roppongi, Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, and Okinawa, where bases are concentrated.

Chapter 1: Who Owns Japan's Skies?

The film depicts the investigative reporting by journalists who approached the issue of US military helicopters in the heart of Tokyo. What became apparent was the flight reality that would be impermissible for Japanese helicopters. Interweaving past accidents such as those in Machida City, Tokyo (1964) and Okinawa International University (2004), the film exposes the unchanged state of this country even after 81 years since the end of the war.

Chapter 2: Who is Letting Criminals Escape?

It delves into the issue of secret Japan-US agreements and examines sexual violence by US soldiers, which continues to cause serious harm, and the Japanese government's stance.

Chapter 3: Who are US Military Bases For?

It listens to the thoughts of citizens confronting base issues, leading to the final chapter, 'The Stars and Stripes and the Japanese.' It re-examines the 'normalcy' of this country that has been neglected under the name of the 'Japan-US alliance.'

Reporter Hiroyuki Oba of the reporting team - ©2026 Atsushi Oogaki, Mainichi Shimbun

Teaming up with Director Atsushi Oogaki of 'Shunga and the Japanese'

The director is Atsushi Oogaki, known for 'Shunga and the Japanese' (ranked 7th in Kinema Junpo Best Ten 2018 for Cultural Films, nominated for the 74th Mainichi Film Concours Documentary Film Award), 'Suzu-san: A Story of Housework and Family in the Showa Era' (2022), and 'Our National Museum of Western Art' (2023). Together with Mainichi Shimbun reporters, he spent approximately two years accumulating interviews with citizens' movements confronting base issues and victims of sexual violence to complete the film. This is his fourth film as director.

Director Atsushi Oogaki: 'To Those Who Think About the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement'

The shock I felt when I first witnessed US military helicopters taking off and landing with a roar, as if tearing through the rainy night sky, is still etched in my heart. What is the true nature of the 'privileges' granted to the US forces under the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement, and what has been tacitly permitted in exchange for security? I am very happy and moved as a producer that this film has been completed and will be released in theaters. I wish to deliver this work with respect to everyone who thinks about the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement.

Atsushi Oogaki (born 1963). Primarily raised in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture. After graduating from Hitotsubashi University's Faculty of Economics in 1986, he joined NHK. As a producer and director, he worked on 'New Electronic Nation,' 'Path of Civilization,' 'New Silk Road,' 'Double Hibaku: The Record of Surviving Hiroshima and Nagasaki,' 'Brakeless JR: The Fukuchiyama Line Derailment Accident,' and others. He has been a professor at Joshibi University of Art and Design since 2019.

US military helicopters flying lower than a building approximately 270 meters high in central Tokyo - ©2026 Atsushi Oogaki, Mainichi Shimbun

What is the Investigative Reporting 'Questioning Privileges'?

This film was completed by重ねる new interviews, based on the content of Mainichi Shimbun's investigative reporting project 'Questioning Privileges,' which began in February 2020 to clarify the reality brought about by the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement. In 'Questioning Privileges,' extensive filming was conducted in central Tokyo for about six months, and it scooped the reality of US military helicopters repeatedly flying at altitudes that would be illegal for Japanese helicopters. Continuing the investigation, the flight realities in the Tokyo metropolitan area were also revealed.

Challenging a new style of investigative reporting that distributes evidence footage has led to the production of this film. It pursues a wide range of themes related to the Status of Forces Agreement, not limited to the issue of airspace, and has published over 100 articles. In 2022, it received the Shimbun Roren Journalism Award.

Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement: Based on the Japan-US Security Treaty, it defines the legal status of US forces in Japan and the authority of US forces to manage and operate bases. It consists of 28 articles. It grants various 'privileges' to the US military that are not subject to Japanese law, and has been called for revision by the National Governors' Association and others. It has not been revised since its conclusion in 1960.

Reporting Team Desk/Producer Yuji Senba: 'Newspaper Company's Film Production: An Unusual Challenge'

'300 Meters Above Tokyo,' the title of the film, refers to Japan's minimum safe altitude that aircraft must maintain over densely populated areas. However, due to a special law based on the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement, it does not apply to the US military. Producing a feature-length documentary film is an unusual undertaking for a newspaper company. It is a challenge undertaken while exploring how to deliver the reported information and how to convey it. We would be grateful if you could also feel the breath of the reporters engaged in investigative reporting through the film.

Mieko Takahashi, who calls for the removal of Yokota Air Base - ©2026 Atsushi Oogaki, Mainichi Shimbun

Film Production Staff

Director, Cinematography, Editing: Atsushi Oogaki Narration: Shinichi Takeda

Reporting, Cinematography: Hiroyuki Oba Editing: Takayuki Kato

Sound Effects: Kozo Hosomi Color Grading: Takehisa Horii

Sound Mix: Akira Nagabe Studio Adjustment: Masaru Takahashi

Poster Design: Ru Miyazaki Promotion: Yukiko Kawamura

Distribution Cooperation: Pole Pole Higashi-Nakano Producers: Yuji Senba, Atsushi Oogaki

Japan / 110 minutes / Documentary Film / DCP 5.1ch / ©2026 Atsushi Oogaki, Mainichi Shimbun