[attach id=230719 size="large"]Japanese director Nagisa Oshima. Photo: AP[/attach]

Nagisa Oshima, a Japanese director known for internationally acclaimed films Empire of Passion (1978) and In the Realm of the Senses (1976), has died of pneumonia. He was 80.

A former student activist from Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, Oshima made his debut in 1959, often depicting social issues. He quickly rose to fame as a leading ‘new wave’ director.

Oshima stirred public indecency debate in Japan when he released In the Realm of the Senses. Two years later, Oshima won best director award at the Cannes International Film Festival with Empire of Passion.

In 1983, Oshima had a critical success with a film made partly in English, Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, set in a wartime prison camp and featuring rock star David Bowie, along-side future director Takeshi Kitano. The movie has become a cult classic.

Despite suffering a stroke in 1996, Oshima briefly returned to film-making in 1999 with Taboo, which became his last work.

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