The film Escape tells the extraordinary story of Satoshi Kirishima, once Japan’s most wanted man, who eluded capture for nearly 50 years after being accused of domestic terrorism. Days before dying of stomach cancer, he stunned hospital staff by revealing his true identity. Director Masao Adachi discusses what drove him to make a film about this remarkable case and what Kirishima’s final act meant.
A Filmmaker with a Revolutionary Past
Masao Adachi, born in 1939, dropped out of Nihon University’s Department of Film and began his career making “pink films” and documentaries under the mentorship of director Kōji Wakamatsu. In 1971, he traveled with Wakamatsu to Palestine, co-directing a film about the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Adachi later joined the Japanese Red Army, was arrested in Lebanon in 1997, and served three years in prison before being deported back to Japan in 2000. Since then, he has resumed filmmaking and remained prolific.
The Fugitive Who Emerged from the Shadows
In January 2024, a man admitted to a hospital in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture under the alias Hiroshi Uchida shocked the nation by revealing himself to be Satoshi Kirishima. He had been wanted since the 1970s for his alleged role in a series of corporate bombings in 1974 and 1975. His iconic wanted poster—with long hair, dark-rimmed glasses, and a wry smile—was a familiar sight in police stations and train platforms across Japan. His unexpected reappearance made headlines nationwide. Just four days later, on January 29, Kirishima passed away.
Tokyo’s Public Security Bureau interrogated him on January 26, and DNA analysis later confirmed his identity. Although police filed charges against him for five bombing incidents, the Tokyo District Prosecutor’s Office dropped the case on March 21, citing his death.
A Story That Demanded to Be Told
Just over a year after his death, Adachi completed Escape, a dramatization of Kirishima’s life. The director said he was deeply moved by the fugitive’s decision to come forward and die under his real name. It was a gesture he felt demanded interpretation, and perhaps, a tribute.
Adachi’s own life gave him a unique lens through which to examine Kirishima’s. Though slightly older than the students in Japan’s radical All-Campus Joint Struggle Committee (Zenkyōtō) of the 1960s, Adachi took part in protests against revisions to the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty in 1960. He eventually stepped away from direct action, preferring to reflect on politics and revolution through film. While maintaining a critical voice within leftist circles, Adachi used cinema as a political platform—something he continued throughout his career.
The Road to Revolution and Back Again
In the 1970s, Adachi traveled as a journalist to the Middle East to investigate the activities of the PFLP. He once joked that his goal was to see whether “a drunk from Shinjuku could become a revolutionary.” His journey led him to meet Fusako Shigenobu, a core member of the Japanese Red Army. Adachi became a spokesperson for the group and was eventually placed on Interpol’s wanted list.
Arrested in Lebanon in 1997, he served time before being deported to Japan in 2000. He resumed his film career and became known for pushing creative and political boundaries. In 2022, his film Revolution+1, based on the life of the man who assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, generated controversy for its boldness, premiering on the day of Abe’s state funeral.
Driven by Urgency
Adachi says the speed with which he made Escape reflects his urgency to capture Kirishima’s story. Upon hearing that the fugitive had revealed his identity, Adachi was stunned. “I kept thinking, ‘Why now?’ He could have died without ever being caught. But instead, he chose to speak,” Adachi said. “That act meant he was ready to tell his story, and that gave me the clarity to make this film.”
Adachi believes Kirishima wanted to show that life in hiding was its own kind of struggle—a fight to preserve one’s beliefs and dignity. “He was speaking not just to the public, but to his former comrades—those who died, those in prison, those who survived.”
A Portrait of Isolation and Resolve
In the film, Kirishima’s daily life in hiding is depicted through imagined conversations with people from his past, including former comrades and even a younger version of Adachi himself. As the story unfolds, Kirishima receives a terminal diagnosis and begins to reflect on his decades of solitude, internal conflicts, and the idealism that once inspired him.
Adachi captures not only Kirishima’s ideological steadfastness but also his very human struggles—anxieties, regrets, and longing. “His daily survival was full of tension. He worked odd jobs. His real dream, as a young man, was to start a band,” Adachi explained. “But after joining university, he met survivors of the New Left and turned toward political activism. I don’t think he ever saw himself as a true revolutionary.”
During the student movements of the 1960s and 1970s, tens of thousands were arrested or pursued by police. Most returned to normal life after the statute of limitations passed. “They went home, took over family businesses, and gave up their ideals. But for many, the end of activism marked the beginning of a new kind of struggle in everyday life.”
A Message to a Troubled Generation
Behind Adachi’s storytelling lies a deeper concern for Japan’s youth. Since returning from exile 25 years ago, he has been troubled by what he sees as stagnation and despair among young people. “It felt like I was Urashima Tarō, returning to a world that had moved on without me. The old systems had collapsed. Young people’s lives had become even harder,” he said. “They’re smothered, like being wrapped in cotton—unable even to articulate what’s suffocating them.”
Adachi doesn’t blame them. “This is the society we built. It’s our failure. It’s the fault of our generation, of those who led the student movements. Now, we must take responsibility—not just for the past, but for daily life today.”
With Escape, Adachi offers not just a story of a man on the run, but a meditation on belief, regret, and the quiet, persistent struggle to live truthfully.
Related Topics
- Who Is the Villain in “Nezha 2”?
- Did Nezha’s Parents Die?
- “Barefoot: Hakuna” Set to Premiere Across Latin America