Japan Touring Foundation 2026: Sham

Fukuoka, 2003. Elementary school teacher Seiichi Yabushita is devoted to his job. One day, he is accused of brutally disciplining a mixed-race child by the boy’s mother Ritsuko, who claims that her son even tried to take his own life as a result. Despite insisting he has no recollection of the incident, Seiichi is forced by his headteacher — who is more concerned about the school’s reputation — to apologise publicly in front of the other parents. A news reporter soon seizes on the story, publishing a sensational exposé that reveals Seiichi’s real name. As public outrage grows, Ritsuko garners sympathy and rallies support for an unprecedented civil lawsuit backed by more than 500 lawyers.

Internationally acclaimed director Takashi Miike transforms journalist Masumi Fukuda’s groundbreaking report, Fabrication: The Truth Behind the Fukuoka 'Murderous Teacher' Case, into the gripping film Sham. The story serves as both a social critique and a moral inquiry, challenging us to question what is real, whom to trust, and how fragile the images we create of others truly are.