It was founded in 1936, with Minoru Murata serving as the first president, and has continued to this day apart from a period between 1943 and 1949 when it was disbanded at first on orders from the government.
[1] It is particularly concerned with protecting the copyright and other rights the director has over the work, defending freedom of expression, and promoting the economic interests of its members.
[1] For instance, it has issued protests against efforts to prevent screenings of such films as Yasukuni[2] and The Cove.
on the occasion of its 70th anniversary to promote its view that the director possesses the copyright of a film.
Past presidents were Minoru Murata (1936–37), Kenji Mizoguchi (1937–43, 1949–55), Yasujirō Ozu (1955–63), Heinosuke Gosho (1964–80), Nagisa Ōshima (1980–96), Kinji Fukasaku (1996–2003), Yōji Yamada (2003–04) and Yōichi Sai (2004–2022).