Video of The Beatles during 1966 Japan Visit Disclosed

Tokyo, Oct. 2 (Jiji Press)--A video of The Beatles captured by Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department during the legendary British rock band's 1966 tour to Japan has been disclosed. The release came after a disclosure request filed with the MPD eight years ago by a nonprofit organization working to promote information disclosure in the central Japan city of Nagoya and a related lawsuit. The faces of people in the video, excluding the Beatles members, have been pixelated by the police department. The silent black-and-white video of 35 minutes and 40 seconds was captured on June 29-July 3, 1966, when The Beatles stayed in Japan, and is titled "security operations during The Beatles' visit to Japan." It shows a number of police officers engaging in security operations around the Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo, where the band performed, and the hotel where the members stayed, their arrival at Tokyo International Airport at Haneda, and emotional and crying fans. Also shown in the video is part of The Beatles' last performance during their Japan tour, held on the night of July 2, 1966. It is the first time that footage from the day's concert has been discovered. The video is amazing and is "a historical and cultural asset," an expert said. The Beatles held a total of five concerts during the tour. Music critic Masataka Miyanaga, 62, who also wrote a book about The Beatles, said: "It is surprising that (footage from the final concert) has been discovered. I could confirm for the first time John Lennon performing while wearing sunglasses he bought in Japan." At the time, it was very rare for police to conduct large-scale security operations for music performances even by famous artists, MPD officials said, adding that the Beatles video is believed to have been created as a material for the future. The Nagoya NPO filed for the disclosure of the video with the MPD after learning of its existence in 2014. But the MPD disclosed only part of the video on the grounds that it shows the faces of ordinary citizens. The NPO then filed a lawsuit for full disclosure. But it lost the suit at the Supreme Court in 2018. The group later asked the MPD for disclosure based on the initial decision. In July this year, a DVD of the video in which the faces of members of the public are pixelated was delivered to the group. Miyanaga said the video let him know that "authorities at the time were overly fearful of The Beatles, who wowed young people around the world." "Although I think it's meaningless to pixelate images captured 56 years ago, it's very significant that the group has succeeded in having police disclose the video," he continued. "I want people to enjoy watching the video as a material for thinking about how information disclosure should be and what personal information means," said lawyer Satoshi Shinkai, a Beatles fan and head of the NPO. On the original video before editing, Shinkai said that some parts of the video are believed to have been shot with two cameras, so there must be a large amount of footage that was omitted, showing his intention to consider seeking the disclosure of the omitted parts. The disclosed Beatles video can be watched on a YouTube channel of the national citizens ombudsman liaison council. END