◆OTANI Izumi 2025/10/25-26 "Current State of Research on Ich klage an (I Accuse) in Japan",　障害学国際セミナー2025,　於：京都（日本）
◇障害学国際セミナー2025 ◇障害学国際セミナー
◇障害学

OTANI Izumi 2025/10/25-26 "Current State of Research on Ich klage an (I Accuse) in Japan",　障害学国際セミナー2025,　於：京都（日本）

1. Background and Purpose

The film Ich klage an (I Accuse) (1941), produced in Nazi Germany, has been identified as propaganda for the T4 euthanasia program that systematically murdered people with disabilities (Klee 1983; Ichinokawa 1996; Moeller 1998; Niven 2018). While Germany maintains strict regulations on its viewing and screening, the film is available on DVD in the United States. From the perspectives of bioethics, medical sociology, and disability studies, this film serves not merely as a historical source but as a crucial subject for critically examining contemporary euthanasia discourse and media representations. This study analyzes research on Ich klage an in Japan, clarifies the background of its uneven distribution, and proposes the importance of a critical perspective connecting historical propaganda with contemporary media representations.

2. Methods and Results

This study examined ①euthanasia discourse and policy research, ②German film studies, ③Nazism studies, and ④media studies, comparing the presence, context, and depth of references to the film. This investigation revealed four significant disparities in how this film has been addressed. First, despite Ich klage an's important position in German film history as euthanasia policy propaganda, it is rarely discussed in Japanese German film studies. While some researchers treat it as a crucial historical source, translating foreign research on it and referencing it in their own work, many books on Nazi policy history and Nazi cinema contain no mention of it. Second, in bioethics and medical sociology, scholars cautious about euthanasia have examined the film (Ichinokawa 1996; Otani 2002, 2006, 2013; Mima 2018; Komatsu 2023), and a longtime disability advocate referenced it in commentary on the Kyoto ALS murder trial (Watanabe 2024). However, even bioethics introductions using film as an entry point often omit this work outside cautionary perspectives. Third, research critically examining propaganda aspects in contemporary euthanasia-related films, documentaries, and news coverage remains extremely limited. Fourth, insufficient understanding of disabled people's complex positions is evident. The existence of disabled people who accept the "right to die" and the diversity of perspectives in euthanasia debates have not been adequately examined.

3. Analysis

The uneven distribution of research on this film stems from three structural factors. First, there is a temporal disconnect in propaganda research. While historical propaganda receives critical analysis, contemporary media representations tend to be treated as "objective reporting" or "artistic works," with insufficient examination of their potential propaganda nature. Second, disciplinary fragmentation is significant. Film studies, history, medical sociology, and disability studies proceed independently with inadequate interdisciplinary dialogue. Third, insufficient understanding of the complexity of agency in euthanasia debates persists. Even in disability studies, the necessity for nuanced discussion considering diverse positions and opinions among disabled people is not fully recognized.

4. Future Challenges and Contemporary Significance

Based on this research, the following challenges and significance are proposed. Future research challenges: First, promoting comprehensive interdisciplinary research. Second, constructing theoretical frameworks for continuously analyzing historical propaganda and contemporary media representations. Third, developing multilayered discussions that consider diverse disabled perspectives. Contemporary significance: As debates on euthanasia and death with dignity intensify in Japan, there is an urgent need to critically examine media representations' influence and enhance media literacy. Moreover, analyzing historical propaganda can reveal problems in contemporary disability representations and warn against discourse threatening disabled people's right to life.

5. Conclusion

This study clarified the uneven distribution of research on Ich klage an in Japan and its underlying factors. This disparity indicates a lack of critical perspective connecting historical propaganda with contemporary media representations. Learning from history, constructing a critical perspective to protect disabled people's right to life in contemporary society is essential. *This research is supported by a research grant from The Institute of Seizon and Life Sciences, (Principal Investigator: OTANI Izumi, 2023-2025) and other sources