Tadashi Imai; Japanese Film Director

Tadashi Imai, 79, prominent Japanese film director. He was stricken while on a promotion trip for his latest film, “The War and the Youth,” concerning the 1945 U.S. air attack on Tokyo. As a member of Japan’s Communist Party, he was blacklisted by some Japanese filmmakers, but worked as an independent director. Most of his films dealt with social issues, including “The Tower of Lilies,” “The Blue Mountain Range” and “Brother and Sister.” On Friday in Tokyo of a brain hemorrhage.