Sternberg travelled to Japan in 1937 shortly after ending his professional ties with Paramount and Columbia Pictures . He met with Japanese critics and film enthusiasts who had studied and admired his silent and sound films . Producer Kawakita and director Fanck were filming The New Earth , and Sternberg visited them on location to discuss the possibilities for movie collaboration . When war broke out in 1939 the talks were suspended . Both Kawakita and Osawa served Imperial Japan throughout the war producing propaganda films in China and Japan , respectively . When Japan was defeated in 1945 the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers ( SCPA ) designated both producers as Class B war criminals , barring them from the Japanese film industry until 1950
Class B war criminals
Japanese war crimes
Anatahan (film)