Opening the 2026 Tokyo International Film Festival is Sukiyaki , Takahisa Zeze’s drama charting the backstory of the 1960s song that became a global hit and a symbol of Japan ’s recovery from postwar devastation and humiliation.

Centered on composer and jazz pianist Hachidai Nakamura (Junichi Okada), the film tells of his partnership with lyricist Rokusuke Ei (Tori Matsuzaka), and how singer Kyu Sakamoto (Taiga Nakano) turned their combination of a jaunty melody and plaintive lyrics into an unlikely global pop culture phenomenon. Though the tale behind the tune was ripe for onscreen telling, the song’s legacy is perhaps even more remarkable.

An ill-fated recital left Nakamura struggling with debt and addiction as rockabilly eclipsed jazz.…