
The story is presented as a voiced-over narrative by Arita (Takahiro Tamura), speaking long after the events of the film. In a remote army base in Manchuria, near the Soviet border, long-serving corporal Arita hates the military and looks forward to the day he may leave. Although a university graduate, he has several times deliberately failed the exam for promotion and thus remains a corporal after four years' service.

Shintarō Katsu
Kisaburo Omiya

Takahiro Tamura
Arita

Joe Shishido

Michiyo Yasuda

Koichi Ose

Hideji Ōtaki
Jun Takigawa
Teruo Matsuyama
Gorō Kudan

Jun Katsumura
Chikara Hashimoto

Yukio Horikita
Kazuo Mortuchi
Tsuyotake Matsuda
Katsuyoshi Baba
Tamotsu Fujiharu
Iwao Kasumi
Haruyoshi Takeuchi
Hiroshi Miki
Yasuzō Masumura
Masatoshi Tojo, Yasuzō Masumura
Released