Three versions of Komatsu Saykō's Nihon chinbotsu (Japan Sinks)

This article examines three versions of Nihon chinbotsu (Michael Gallagher's abridged translation of Komatsu Sakyo's novel and its two film adaptations, directed by Moritani Shiro and Higuchi Shinji) in terms of national identity, geography, postcolonialism and post-imperialism, and considers the usefulness of sf in raising such issues. Komatsu and Moritani engage philosophically with the tragedy of forced diaspora and the difficulty of conceptualising national identity outside of geography, while Higuchi presents a more nationalist tale.