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Toshikuni Doi

どい としくに

Doi Toshikuni

Aliases: 砥川春樹
Pen Names: Togawa Haruki（Pen name used for some writings (derived from his birthplace name)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1953-01-08 （Ushizu, Ogi District, Saga Prefecture, Japan (now Ogi City)）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Ushizu, Ogi District, Saga Prefecture, Japan (birthplace) → Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (resident)

Career

Occupations
freelance journalist, writer, film director, photojournalist, political activist, English teacher
Active Years
1978-
Affiliations
Japan Visual-Journalist Association, Association for Journalists Thinking about Reporting from Danger Zones (co-founder/member)
Memberships
Japan Visual-Journalist Association, Association for Journalists Thinking about Reporting from Danger Zones
Influenced By
Ryuichi Hirokawa, Shingo Shibata (supervising professor)
Influenced

Education

Hiroshima University
Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences / Comparative Culture Studies (course)
Degree: 学士
Period: 1974-1981
Year of Graduation: 1981
Country: Japan
Entered as a first cohort via June entrance exam. Undertook parallel exam attempts and travelled abroad while enrolled.

Awards

Arts Selection Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award
2024
Work: Tsushima: Fukushima Speaks — Second Chapter
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs / MEXT
Result: 受賞
Za-Koenji Documentary Festival Encouragement Prize
2010
Work: Living as 'I'
Organization: Za-Koenji Documentary Festival
Result: 受賞
Yufuin Culture & Documentary Film Festival Matsukawa Prize (5th)
2012
Work: The Town of Iitate: Radiation and the Return Home
Organization: Yufuin Culture & Documentary Film Festival
Result: 受賞
Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Cultural Film — 1st place)
2009
Work: Breaking the Silence
Organization: Kinema Junpo
Result: 受賞
Ishibashi Tanzan Memorial Waseda Journalism Award (Public Service Grand Prize)
2009
Work: Breaking the Silence
Organization: Ishibashi Tanzan Memorial Waseda Journalism Award
Result: 受賞
Daido Life Regional Studies Special Award
2016
Work: A series of reporting and documentary records on Palestine
Organization: Daido Life International Cultural Foundation
Result: 受賞
Agency for Cultural Affairs Film Award — Excellence in Cultural Documentary
2013
Work: Living in a Foreign Land
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞
Asahi Journal Nonfiction Award (prize)
Work: Reportage on Filipino migrant workers
Organization: Asahi Journal
Result: 入賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Breaking the Silence

2009 documentary film

A documentary compiling field reporting on the Israel–Palestine conflict. Through testimonies of former Israeli soldiers and on-the-ground coverage, it questions the realities of occupation.

occupationmilitary and civilianstestimony records
Translations
  • Breaking the Silence

Fukushima Speaks

2018 documentary film

A feature-length documentary recording the voices of victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, portraying their lives and social consequences.

disaster and recoveryradiation impactvoices of affected communities
Translations
  • The Town of Iitate Radiation and the Return Home

"Living with Memory": The Life of Former 'Comfort Woman' Kang Duk-gyeong

2015 documentary film / record

A documentary following the life of former comfort woman Kang Duk-gyeong, focusing on experiences of victimhood and the dialogue around memory.

comfort women issuememory and testimonyhuman rights

Occupation and the People: Palestine

1988 reportage / nonfiction

A reportage based on on-site coverage in Palestine, reporting on occupation realities through voices from refugee camps and local residents.

Palestine issuerefugeesrecording occupation

Reports from Gaza

2024 reportage / nonfiction

A collected report of fieldwork in the Gaza Strip, compiling local conditions and residents' testimonies.

Gazaeffects of conflictcivilian life

Bibliography

  • Occupation and the People: Palestine (Banseisha, 1988)
  • American Jews (Iwanami Shinsho, 1991)
  • America's Palestinians (Suzusawa Shoten, 1991)
  • Become Flame: Young People Who Opened New Korea (San'ichi Shobo, 1994)
  • The 'Peace Agreement' and Palestine (Asahi Sensho, 1995)
  • Palestine: Voices of Jenin (Iwanami Booklet, 2002)
  • Field Reports: Voices of Palestine, Voices of Israel (Iwanami, 2004)
  • What the U.S. Military Did in Iraq (Iwanami Booklet, 2004)
  • Breaking the Silence: Former Israeli Soldiers Speak on 'Occupation' (Iwanami, 2008)
  • The Tragedy of Gaza Is Not Over (Iwanami Booklet, 2009)
  • "Living with Memory": The Life of Former 'Comfort Woman' Kang Duk-gyeong (Otsuki Shoten, 2015)
  • Reports from Gaza (Iwanami Booklet, 2024)

Adaptations

  • Breaking the Silence (distributed commercially on DVD)

Translations of Works

  • The Town of Iitate Radiation and the Return Home (English version)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
on-the-ground reportagedocumentary style using extensive footagetestimony-centered documentation
Recurring Motifs
occupation and resistancelife of refugeestestimonies and recovery in disaster areas

Health

  • cerebral infarction (stroke)
    2010年6月（発症）
    Suffered a stroke in June 2010 and was hospitalized; reported to have recovered to a condition allowing speech.

Legacy

He is recognized as a journalist and documentary filmmaker who has long reported from Palestine, conflict zones, and disaster areas, raising issues to civil society through reporting and film; his methods and representations have also provoked debate.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Visual-Journalist Association

Trivia

  • He has used the pen name "Togawa Haruki", derived from his birthplace name.
  • In 2016 he launched the "Toshikuni Doi Online Shop" to distribute his works.
  • Spouse: Sachimi Doi. He has publicly stated that he has no children.