The Japan Society is delighted to offer a small group of members a unique opportunity to join director Kasho Iizuka for a conversation over cream tea ahead of the screening of his film Blue Boy Trial (2025) at the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026 in London. Celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month in the UK, this exclusive event also offers a chance to explore significant themes in contemporary Japan and gain insights into the making of the film.

Set in Tokyo in 1965, the film follows a landmark case sparked by government efforts to curb public prostitution after the Olympics. While transgender women known as “Blue Boys” evade prosecution due to being legally registered as male, authorities target Dr. Akagi Masao for performing gender-affirming surgeries, accusing him of violating the Eugenic Protection Law. As the trial unfolds, Sachi, one of his patients, faces a profound reckoning with her identity and future. Based on the real “Blue Boy Incident,” the story explores legal, social, and personal struggles that shaped Japan’s understanding of LGBTQ+ rights.

Born in Gunma Prefecture in 1990, Kasho Iizuka is a filmmaker who openly shares his identity as a transgender man. During his university years, he trained under film director Yoshitaro Negishi and screenwriter Masato Kato. After receiving the Special Jury Prize at the Pia Film Festival for Our Future (2011), a film inspired by his own experiences, he went on to direct The World for the Two of Us (2020), his first commercially released feature. He later made Angry Son (2021), for which he was honored with the Most Promising New Talent Award at the Osaka Asian Film Festival.

If you have any questions, please call The Japan Society office on 020 3075 1996 or email events@japansociety.org.uk.

Booking essential
Members of The Japan Society and accompanying guests: £20
Non-members: £25
*The price includes the ticket for the film screening at ICA (6.10pm - film duration 106 min) although each attendee is responsible for their transportation to the screening venue.