Speaking as a Japanese person, it's a bit disheartening to see the words "samurai" and "idiot" in the same sentence. Filmmaker Hyoe Yamamoto's documentary "Samurai and Idiots: The Olympus Affair" not only pairs the two, it shows the lack of logic and wisdom behind the so-called samurai spirit that many Japanese (and the rest of the world) see as the very essence of the national mindset.
"Samurai and Idiots" revisits a 2011 scandal that rocked camera manufacturer Olympus Corp., when then-newly appointed CEO Michael Woodford blew the whistle on the company's shady accounting and dalliances with organized crime. Woodford was ousted from his post just two weeks afterward, terminating a 30-year career with the company. Before he left, however, the British businessman had torn the lid off what would become an enormous financial scandal involving one of the country's most respected and successful names. In the aftermath, the entire board of Olympus resigned and the previous CEO, along with others, were arrested.
"It's not really my story, it's a story about modern day corporate Japan," Woodford says in the film, which is meticulous in showing how a powerful manufacturer could be taken down from the inside.
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