The Super Power of Japanese Soft Power: Toshio Suzuki in dialogue with Sofia University Students

Nice to meet you all. Thank you.

The busiest thing is making films. Right now, we are making a new film by Hayao Miyazaki at Ghibli. We started three years ago, and I think it will take another three years. That's the busiest.

First, decide on the project. Decide what project to make into a film. Then select the staff, prepare the budget, and make it. That's the most important job.

Well, I think Studio Ghibli fans, including the students here, are not only in Japan but also many around the world. When we were making films, we didn't actively try to go overseas. How did we go overseas? Looking back, about 20 years ago, we started working with a company called Walt Disney. That became the trigger, and from there it spread worldwide. The person I negotiated with at that time was Mr. Ko, who was the head of Disney Japan. Later, he left Disney and is now the president of Studio Ghibli. That's the connection.

Well, first of all, I learned for the first time from this story that Studio Ghibli is famous in Bulgaria. I was very happy about that. I always thought that since we made films, we wanted many people to see them. But I didn't know that people even in Bulgaria were watching. I'm glad. Now, I'm going to say something that might be off-topic. Let me show you something. Is that okay? Do you know this? This is a record sung by a Bulgarian children's choir. I loved this record. I actually made the film 'Only Yesterday' while listening to this record. So I was conscious of Bulgaria when making that film. And it was director Isao Takahata who taught me that Bulgarian music is wonderful. So I want to tell that to everyone and also say thank you. I still treasure this record. It's my treasure. Also, about university: Keio University doesn't put much emphasis on cinema. Actually, in Japan, there are very few universities with film studies courses. Keio doesn't have one. I didn't originally intend to work in film, but as a result, I'm doing that job. But literature and film are very close, and that's probably the connection.

Looking at Japan's long history, Japan has actually been a country dominated by women. Women were strong. That's one big thing. So on the surface, men go out, but as you said using very difficult Japanese, the breadwinner of the family was always women in Japanese history. That's the main answer. So naturally, my late mother was very strong, my wife is strong, and my daughter is strong. I don't know if there really is a country where men are strong. At least Japan is like that. Another thing: when making animation in Japan, about 60 to 70 percent of the staff for one film, which is about 400 to 500 people, are women. So if you look down on women, you can't make animation films. I hope you understand that.

Studio Ghibli itself, the entire company now has maybe 300 employees. Of those, I think 60% are women.

I'll overlap with what I said earlier. For us, we only knew Bulgaria from the record of the children's choir. We didn't know much, but we often said while making 'Only Yesterday' that Bulgaria must be a beautiful country. In 'Only Yesterday', as you can see, many songs from different countries are used. It's a story of a 27-year-old woman, and at the same time, it's a music film. So we used music not only from Bulgaria but also from Hungary, Italy, and Japan. Using music from various countries was a big theme. The trigger was Bulgaria. I wasn't very knowledgeable about Bulgarian music, but the late director Takahata taught me, and together we decided we wanted to use that piece. I remember contacting them to obtain the copyright. In the end, using so many different types of music made the rights processing very difficult, but now I'm glad we cleared that difficulty and made that film. That's about it.

Well, I'm curious... In Japan's history, about 75 years ago, Japan was involved in a world war, the Second World War. At that time, Japan had to fight against America. Because of that, Japanese people couldn't honestly like America. At the same time, Japan lost the war. My generation didn't like that either. At that time, which part of the world were we most interested in? Which did we like? It was Europe. But Europe is very broad. There are countries in Eastern Europe and the Atlantic side. What can I say... We loved it. Actually, to be honest, you, Miyazaki, and I all loved Europe. We studied various countries and traveled. Through that, we had many opportunities to encounter each country's history, music, and film. I think Ghibli came about under that influence. That's the background. So directly, 'Only Yesterday' was a way into Bulgaria. In the future, I think many people will continue to do things informed by Europe.

Well, there are novels and various things. When making them, I think the most important thing is to truly do what is unique to that country, something that can't be done elsewhere. When you do that sincerely, people in the world will think, 'Japan has this kind of tradition' or 'Japan believes in this.' So, following your mention, base something on Bulgaria's ancient history, turn it into songs, novels, films, in various forms. That's the most important thing. The more unique it is to Bulgaria, the more interested people will be. When I heard that choir's singing, I wondered how such beautiful voices exist in the human world. That was our greatest impression. I hope that helps you understand.

I'm a producer. One of the producer's jobs is to get many customers to see the film. When deciding between 'Mononoke-hime' and 'Ashitaka's Record', I judged that 'Mononoke-hime' would definitely be seen by more people. Miyazaki wanted 'Ashitaka's Record' and tried to persuade me, but I put out the title 'Mononoke-hime' without his consent. Maruta-san, how do you know such details? Because you love Ghibli. Another question: When opinions differ, what is Ghibli's secret to achieving better results? If you believe you are right, even if the director says something, do it. Don't flatter. If you have conviction, I think doing it is my job. The result was that Miyazaki followed my decision. This could not be resolved by discussion.

That's a difficult question. 'Ninjo Kamifusen' is themed around war and humanity. Sadao Yamanaka shaped it that way. I saw it as a student, and it has been my number one since then. Akira Kurosawa also thought deeply about war and humanity, so he probably had a deep interest in 'Ninjo Kamifusen'. Yasujiro Ozu also couldn't ignore Yamanaka. As for direct influence on Ghibli, I can't pinpoint a specific influence, but I feel it is there at the core. Miyazaki and Takahata experienced the war. I was born after the war, but my childhood and adolescence were in that era, so I think there is some influence, but not concretely.

First of all, when I was a child, there was a TV show called 'The Three Stooges' made in America. Hearing that now, I wonder if that was based on something from Bulgaria? I loved that series. It was very funny. As for the future of hand-drawn animation, I actually think it won't disappear. I think it will remain as one style and develop as another. But it's not about the tool. Computers don't automatically create wonderful things. Whether it's hand-drawn or computer, it depends on the heart and skill of the person. Even hand-drawn can be bad if the person is not good. CGI can also be good if the person has skill. I think it's about that.

Well, there has been such a thing. First, our film 'Kiki's Delivery Service' was a huge hit in Japan. But it didn't hit at all in Asia. I wondered why and asked various people in Asia. I learned the reason. In Japan, it was seen as a girl's coming-of-age story. In Asia, a coming-of-age story isn't enough; she must succeed. She should end up as the president of the delivery company. So reactions vary greatly by country. Another example: in 'Spirited Away', the character No-Face. In Japan, when No-Face appears, audiences cry. In Taipei, when No-Face appears, audiences laugh. That was a moment I felt a huge cultural difference. So having people around the world see it is interesting in many ways.

I thought of two things. First, even among all the animation made in different ways, I think Ghibli films have beautiful Japanese. So for studying Japanese, I recommend Ghibli works. If you memorize an entire film in Japanese, you'll be able to speak beautiful Japanese. That's one. What was the second part of the question? Advice for young people. I think I'll use a Japanese saying: 'Do the things in front of you steadily. If you do that, you'll gradually discover who you are.' Keep going. Another saying: 'One step on the path, one thousand miles from afar.'

Yes, thank you.

I also had a great time. Thank you all here.

Thank you very much.