The Japanese Belly Button

The Japanese Belly Button is a comedy and music film centering on a woman named Helen and her colleagues. Together, they organize a play based on confessions as a method to treat stuttering, but the plan leads to unexpected complications.

Directed by Eizō Sugawa, this 1977 production followed his previous films Japan's No. 1 Disconnected Man and The Beast Shall Die. The movie was produced in Japan by Eizo Sugawa Productions and Art Theatre Guild, with a screenplay written by Yoshio Shirasaka. The cast features Mako Midori as Helen Amatsu, who also plays Momoe and Junko, alongside Akihiro Miwa, Hajime Hana, Osami Nabe, Gajirō Satō, and Daigo Kusano, several of whom portray multiple characters.

The film has a runtime of 102 minutes. Audience reception is mixed, as indicated by the ratings. On IMDb, the movie holds a 6.4 score based on 21 votes, while on TMDB it has a lower rating of 4.8 based on 10 votes.