Mr. Tsuchiya cancelled all stage work back in Japan to participate in this particular convention. We are greatly indebted to him for his concern and appreciation of kaiju eiga fandom in America.

"My name is Controller of Planet X. Human people call me Yoshio Tsuchiya. Nice to see you."

Q: Do you have any good memories of Nick Adams?

A: Nick would always pull his belt up (demonstrates) before they called 'Action!' Nick Adams was always envying me. Because with a lot of murmurred lines and many, many scenes shot in sequence for my body actions, he couldn't match me who just sits there looking sinister and moving... my... fingers. (demonstrates) He was always envying me. It's not fair, you see. Nick Adams was actually a very, very good friend. We were very close friends. I'm sorry to say he was on a very strict diet. He wouldn't eat any breakfast, lunch, dinner but only a cup of coffee in the night. In one session he finally fell down. I was very sorry for him in that state.

Q: You look fabulous! Is that from eating all those mushrooms in MATANGO?

A: Of course, of course! Very delicious!

Q: What are your personal favorite parts you have played in movies?

A: My favorite, first of all, is THE SEVEN SAMURAI by Kurosawa. I performed as a virtuous farmer whose wife was taken by bandits. Throughout my career, I was in nine Kurosawa films. I was especially fond of Mr. Kurosawa and was permitted to live in his home. I saw Mr. Kurosawa as a friend.

Q: I would like to know if there are any Western actors you admire.

A: Henry Fonda is Number One. And many old Hollywood stars.

Q: In GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH, right at the very end, right before your death scene: Did they have a picture of Godzilla that you could focus at or did they use some sort of prop that you could look at for that scene?

A: It was a screen process. I asked them to project Godzilla's image on the screen to know how big and how tall it was to make the degree of his eye lines. On the take, there is no image of Godzilla on the screen; no prop, nothing. Just me and the camera. On that scene, I just ask one request of the special effects directors: Not to do over action at the sight of the Godzilla and sight of the human Shindo. What I tried to do in that sequence was non-active action. Just projecting my emotion without doing anything. Just projection of my emotion from the inside of me and the inside from the Godzilla. So once my eye lines were set, I didn't use any image of Godzilla or any on-screen props. Just my performance. 'Please', I say, 'not over action for the both sides.' (demonstrates) I should have brought Mr. Satsuma here. I ask Mr. Kawakita to insist to Mr. Satsuma, 'Do not do over action, OK?' So Mr. Satsuma was instructed, 'Do not do over action.'

Q: What did you think of Jun Fukuda, the director of SON OF GODZILLA?

A: Basically speaking, Jun Fukuda is an action oriented director. I and Mr. Fukuda are almost about the same way so we are just like old friends. It is a Godzilla movie with its location in the Guam islands. So we very enjoyed the shooting of SON OF GODZILLA. And basically speaking, he is an action oriented director.

Q: In GODZILLA VS. MONSTER ZERO, how tight was that alien costume that you wore?

A: Yes! Pretty tight from the waist down. Yes, yes. (demonstrates) It was like torture and was very good for the strict diet. Interesting.

Q: I know you liked your character in GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH but in the older Godzilla series, what was your favorite and least favorite character that you did?

A: All characters are my favorite so there is no least favorite character. Most of the time I participated in very serious movies like Kurosawa movies and I experienced some very hardships and painstakings for adapting myself to these type of serious movies. So in Godzilla movies, I just relaxed and enjoyed performing. It is a very positive and a very enjoyable memories about Godzilla movies. Mr. Honda and Mr. Tsuburaya were always keeping a very tight and good friendship like this so I too was influenced by this good relationship of the bosses. So it was a quite enjoyable experience to participate in Godzilla movies. I enjoyed it and I came to the director and special effects director, Mr. Honda and Mr. Tsuburaya (for) as many as I could. I can say I went  direct to Mr. Honda and Mr. Tsuburaya. I have two complaints in the SON OF GODZILLA: One is that the character of the Minya. His face was buttery like look of the Prime Minister so every moment I saw the face of Minya, he reminded me of the Prime Minister's face and I couldn't resist running. In addition to Godzilla, I did MATANGO. Do you know MATANGO? A second complaint for the treatment for MATANGO: To the actors, it was written very nicely as a serious drama reviewing the very negative side of the human natures in drama. But I got a complaint at the climax: That the special effects and make-up as 'B' and 'N' which the human side of the (dark) MATANGO. MATANGO is jungle. Serious drama is here. At the moment I saw that (demonstrates) mushrooms are coming up this way. Me and the other actors doing very serious drama but Matango and bunches of these mushrooms came. At the moment I saw them, I couldn't help but running just like at Disneyland. Fantasia. The special effects side couldn't match. So it's a second complaint. It was a good experience to perform an eating of the spawn of the Matango. It is quite exciting performance but it's hard to say how should I act with the mushroom Matango coming up to the site.

Q: I would like to know, how did working on location compare with working in the studios? For example, on GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH, and what percentage of the film was on location versus the Toho Studios?

A: Most of my job was on location in the GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH. At the location, the staff would bring very huge size parts of Godzilla like the head or like tails. I was quite scared of the treatment of the eye lines but most of the other actors weren't. So I asked the director to make sure where should their eye lines go on so it was necessary to bring the huge models of the part of Godzilla tails and the heads. Part of the Godzilla was quite huge. The tail itself was as big as this room. So they brought these parts to the locations. And then we performed with the technique of the cutting block. We can see the effect on the actual tape. Remember the part of the soldiers on the island? They used a very huge part of the tail and so their eyes go this way (demonstrates). I wonder if Mr. Satsuma was inside?

Q: You did three films with Nick Adams and we've heard a lot about DAISENSO (GREAT MONSTER WAR) and so forth. I wonder if you could talk a little about THE KILLING BOTTLE because none of us have had the opportunity to see it.

A: My role was General Robesa (sp?). It's a name reversed writing of The Server. Once Adams knew the reason of his name Robesa, he just dropped because he knew the reason but he was very outgoing and a very nice friend of mine. Sometimes he would do some typical horrid acting. All the time I would say, 'It's very typical horrid act, you know.' Nick Adams would pride me back: 'No. I am Japanese!' And diet. Always diet. Morning, no. Lunch, no. Night, coffee only. One thing I remember about Nick Adams is that he was on a very strict diet. No breakfast, no lunch, no dinner. Only in the evening, he would take one cup of coffee. I was quite amazed and worried. He finally fell down in one take. He was a fan of special effects movies so he asked me for my autograph on my photograph. I told him it was just a diplomatic remark and before he returned to the United States he would just throw it away. I gave it to him. Later, some Toho man went to Nick Adams' home and found my photograph was fixed on the wall. So after returning from Hollywood, he told me about this and I was quite grateful. It is a very good story about friendship between two actors. He said one day, 'Please teach me". He asked me a question: 'How should I say in Japanese {hello} or {good morning} when I come onto the set?' I told him how to say, 'Oh, I'm hungry!'

Q: Of the three Ghidorahs, which one do you like the best and what do you think of the new origin of the new King Ghidorah?

A: Before the shooting, I met the suit actor of the new Haisai (sp?) King Ghidorah in GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH. I was quite amazed and quite charmed by its beauty. I like the new GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH. It was quite impressive.

Q: What do you think of its origin that got it here?

A: Once upon a time, an old Japanese story long, long time ago. I think the origin of the King Ghidorah is the eight-headed serpent in Japanese myth. Some two thousand years ago, the story was formed. I think that the eight-headed King Ghidorah would be very difficult to operate the heads so they reduced eight into three. This is a secret of the formation of King Ghidorah. It is much more enjoyable to me that King Ghidorah is a mutation of the Dorat in GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH than a preying space monster. I love the formation of Dorat as treated in GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH.

Q: What do you think of how America totally destroyed the Godzilla concept and altered the creation of the beast, giving the responsibility to another country? What does Japanese society think of how we mistreated the origins? Deep questions.

A: You don't have to think that deeply. Basically speaking, a movie is entertainment. One example is that the Godzilla and the other monsters tend to destroy the biggest or newest construction in Tokyo. Like Tokyo Tower. Many people, especially in the media, try to see the deeper meaning behind it as a symbol of something. One day on the press conference on GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH, one reporter asked the question of Mr. Omori or Mr. Kawakita: 'You destroyed the Tuck's Tower this time. Is there some meaning behind it?' They couldn't answer because they didn't intend that. I said, 'Well, this is entertainment!' Both Mr. Omori and Mr. Kawakita came right up after the press conference and said, 'Thank you very much!' Generally speaking, the answer is only one for us. It's either America, Japan or France. Who ever explodes the H bomb, it's radioactive. It's only one truth and the Godzilla movie is based on it so don't go too deeply here. The reaction about Japanese people: I think they will enjoy it as a movie all right but not as a Godzilla movie. Not Godzilla.

Q: Have you done any theater in Japan or are you just a film actor?

A: Stage work and movies and TV movies are the three main parts of my performance. I just finished three episodes in samurai TV drama.

 We have a few questions from our fans in Europe. Do you have children?

A: Oh, yes.

Q: What do they think about you acting in kaiju films?

A: Pretty girls! Wonderful! My daughter is very proud of me.

Q: Do people notice you on the street? Are you well recognized?

A: Yes. Yes. Osaka, Tokyo (demonstrates). I'm not sure why but people in Osaka are a bit open-minded. Once I was there, I  saw many, many outgoing reactions of people. When THE HUMAN VAPOR was screened, many taxi drivers recognized me as the actor, sometimes with my voice only. When I asked to go to such and such, they go, 'Oh oh! The Human Vapor is on!' So I began performing as a Human Vapor (demonstrates). Getting in the taxi, I still perform. The taxi driver did enjoy that.

Q: Other than kaiju related films, what are your favourite movies?

A: Unfortunately, it is not shown overseas but the one movie based on the missing in the mountain is my favorite, It's a tight suspense drama about terror. I really love it.

Q: What did you think about Kurosawa's RASHOMON?

A: I was a student and intended to be a doctor when I saw RASHOMON in the theater but I really enjoyed it and it was a quite interesting film.

Q: Do you have any favourite American movies?

A: Of course. John Ford. Because my teacher Kurosawa taught John Ford, John Wayne, Ward Bond, Cimarron, me. All this is the same motor car. Like John Ford family led by the John Wayne. The Kurosawa family led by ( ). Unfortunately, most of them have now passed away. It's quite unfortunate. I think the Americans are quite capable of making heart-warming drama in movies but quite unfortunately nowadays, in Hollywood movie, all we can see is just the explosion of the cars.

Q: If you had the chance, would you have been interested in playing the role of Godzilla?

A: Let me think. Not Shindo this time but I want to be some zoologist like Matthew Broderick did and catching Godzilla and do some anatomy on Godzilla. I would be on the American Godzilla with joy. On the other hand, an idea I got: I participate in American movie as Shindo claiming that this is no Godzilla.