‘Oppenheimer’ finally premieres in Japan to mixed reactions and high emotions

By YURI KAGEYAMA
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — “Oppenheimer” has finally opened in the nation where two cities were obliterated by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist at the center of the film. Japanese filmgoers’ reactions understandably were mixed and highly emotional. A Hiroshima survivor said he has been fascinated by the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer and waited for a Hiroshima bombing scene, which the film doesn’t depict. The film’s release in Japan had been watched with trepidation. A man who saw the movie in a Tokyo theater Friday said it was great, stressing that the topic was emotionally volatile. Another said he got choked up over the film’s scenes depicting Oppenheimer’s inner turmoil.