The Catacombs Catacombs International Guide
Japan

Japan flag JAPAN

Thanks to Haruo Toda

In Japan the series was titled スペース 1999 ("Space 1999"). Year Two episodes had an additional title translating to "Big Space Adventure Space 1999".

46 episodes were broadcast (Bringers Of Wonder part 1 and 2 were not shown on TV until a recent digital CS TV broadcast). The episodes had a new Japanese theme song to replace the Gray/Wadsworth themes (this was not included on the digital broadcast or on the DVDs).

The series was not networked, and, like the US and UK, film prints were circulated between regional stations. The second series was shown four years after the first, on a different network.

In Tokyo, Year One was shown on TBS on Sundays from 3rd April 1977 at 1600- 1656. From the 17th episode, another episode was added on Saturdays (that is, two episodes per week). The series finished on 25th September 1977.

Year Two was shown on another major Japanese TV network, TV Asahi, from 18th May 1981, every weekday until 19th June 1981. Again, the timeslot was 4pm; more inconvenient on weekdays.

There were several repeats, the last being in the early 1980s on TV Tokyo. In 1999-2000, the series was shown on the digital TV channel CS "Super Channel" (one channel of "PerfecTV!" - currently "SkyPerfecTV!"). (There may also have been a 1997 repeat). The "Super Channel" is one of the related businesses of "Tohoku Shinsha", a distributor of overseas visual programmes in Japan. They repeat a number of ITC series such as Thunderbirds and Stingray, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90, The Prisoner, UFO as well as 1999.

Disco Date

Original Japanese theme song: Written by Ichiro Araki, sung by Tsunehiko Kamijo, both well known for TV themes (translation thanks to Haruo Toda, words copyright Ichiro Araki)

1.

What are you longing for in the night sky,
In the infinite Space where stars are shining?
Having no hopes of returning, strays this white star.
Moonbase ALPHA is the star wandering...
Ah, even today,
On the windows, tears of foreign stars lie.

2.

We'd have left all things on the Earth far behind,
Those were memories of love, hatred, and fighting,
Coming back again we don't know why, on this white star.
Moonbase ALPHA is the star wandering...
Ah, even today,
Pieces of drifting stars break our dreaming mind.

Merchandising:

Voice cast

The dubbing sessions for Year 1 were one day a week, a few weeks before the actual broadcasts. Episode 13, Voyager's Return, was recorded on 8th June 1977 between 10:00 and 16:30, and broadcast on 24th July. Episode 14, Matter Of Life And Death, was recorded on 15 June between 10:00 and 16:30, then broadcast on 31th July.

In 2018, Gara Takashima dubbed the voice of Sandra for Message From Moonbase Alpha, when it was shown by the on-demand service of Tohokushinsha Film Corporation.

Episodes

The original screening order shown here was also used on the DVDs. The Japanese episode titles were remarkably redolent of pulp science fiction/B-movies. Timeslots were 55 minutes (16:30-17:25).

Nr Date (Tokyo) Japanese Title (Translation) Original Title
Y1.01 3 April 1977 16:30 人類の危機!宇宙基地大爆発
Mankind at a Crisis! Big Explosion in the Space Base
Breakaway
Y1.02. 10 April 1977 16:30 もう地球へ帰れない!
No Return to the Earth!
Earthbound
Y1.03. 17 April 1977 16:30 宇宙船団大戦争
Big Battle with Space Fleets
War Games
Y1.04. 24 April 1977 16:30 黒い太陽ブラック・ホール
Black Sun - a Black hole
Black Sun
Y1.05. 1 May 1977 16:30 怪奇!宇宙の子供誕生
Bizarre! A Birth of Space Child
Alpha Child
Y1.06. 8 May 1977 16:30 宇宙冷凍人間の正体
True Colour (Character) of the Space Freezing Man
Force Of Life
Y1.07. 15 May 1977 16:30 巨大宇宙都市出現!
Coming of the Huge Space Town!
Mission Of The Darians
Y1.08. 22 May 1977 16:30 宇宙天国の誘惑
Temptation of the Space Paradise
Guardian Of Piri
Y1.09. 29 May 1977 16:30 月が巨大惑星と衝突!?
Moon is about to Collide with a Big Planet!?
Collision Course
Y1.10. 5 June 1977 16:30 宇宙洞窟原始人の襲来
Attack of Primitive Space Cavemen
The Full Circle
Y1.11. 12 June 1977 16:30 宇宙の悪魔・地獄のマシーン
Space Devil, Infernal Machine
The Infernal Machine
Y1.12. 19 June 1977 16:30 赤い太陽、最後の日没
A Red Sun, The Last Sunset
The Last Sunset
Y1.13. 26 June 1977 16:30 宇宙の破壊者、核爆弾船
Space Destroyer, Nuclear Bomb Ship
Voyager's Return
Y1.14. 3 July 1977 16:30 宇宙によみがえった死者
Living dead in Space
Matter Of Life And Death
Y1.15. 10 July 1977 16:30 宇宙コンピュータの反逆
Revolt of the Space Computer
Ring Around The Moon
Y1.16. 17 July 1977 16:30 宇宙戦艦ミサイル発射!
Space Battleships, Launching the Missiles!
The Last Enemy
Y1.17. 23 July 1977 16:30 宇宙墓場の怪獣現わる!
Monsters Emerge From Space Tomb!
Dragon's Domain
Y1.18. 24 July 1977 16:30 月が二つに分かれる時
When the Moon Splits into Two
Another Time, Another Place
Y1.19. 30 July 1977 16:30 宇宙動物園の人間実験
Human Experimentation in the Space Zoo
Missing Link
Y1.20. 31 July 1977 16:30 巨大な宇宙脳の攻撃
Attack of the Huge Space Brain
Space Brain
Y1.21. 17 September 1977 16:30 永遠の生命の怪
Mystery of Everlasting Life
Death's Other Dominion
Y1.22. 18 September 1977 16:30 宇宙悪霊の呪い
The Curse of the Space Evil Spirit
The Troubled Spirit
Y1.23. 24 September 1977 16:30 宇宙の細胞再生人間
Cell-regenerating Man of Space
End Of Eternity
Y1.24. 25 September 1977 16:30 神よ!宇宙に新しい平和を
O, God! Bring New Peace in Space!
The Testament Of Arkadia
Year 2
Y2.01 18 May 1981 16:30 脱出!変身惑星サイコン
Escape! PSYCHON, the Planet of Metamorphosing
The Metamorph
Y2.02 19 May 1981 16:30 惑星ゴロスの反逆者
Traitors of Planet GOLOS
The Exiles
Y2.03 20 May 1981 16:30 宇宙アンドロイドの誘惑
Temptation of the Space Androids
One Moment Of Humanity
Y2.04 21 May 1981 16:30 怪奇!宇宙の変色殺人岩
Bizarre! Lethal Colour-changing Rock
All That Glisters
Y2.05 22 May 1981 16:30 タイムトラベル あこがれの地球へ
Time travel bound for the longing Earth
Journey To Where
Y2.06 25 May 1981 16:30 超宇宙からの来訪者
Visitor from out of Space
The Taybor
Y2.07 26 May 1981 16:30 惑星アーカノンの掟
The Rules of Planet ARCHANON
The Mark Of Archanon
Y2.08 1 June 1981 16:30 植物惑星ルートンの恐怖
Terror of the Plant Planet LUTON
The Rules Of Luton
Y2.09 2 June 1981 16:30 殺人コンピュータの陰謀
Intrigue of the Killing Computer
Brian The Brain
Y2.10 3 June 1981 16:30 偽りのユートピア
Pseudo-utopia
New Adam, New Eve
Y2.11 4 June 1981 16:30 宇宙の稲妻!衝撃波
Space Lightning! Shockwave
The A B Chrysalis
Y2.12 5 June 1981 16:30 SOS!月は地獄だ!
S.O.S., The Moon is a Hell!
Catacombs Of The Moon
Y2.13 8 June 1981 16:30 カルトン惑星破壊の種子
Planet KALTHON, Seed of Destruction
Seed Of Destruction
Y2.14 9 June 1981 16:30 生命維持システムを救え!
Save the Life-supporting System!
The Beta Cloud
Y2.15 10 June 1981 16:30 四次元空間の恐怖
Fear of the Four-dimension Space
Space Warp
Y2.16 11 June 1981 16:30 アンチ・ワールドからの侵略者
Intruder from the Anti-World
A Matter Of Balance
Y2.17 12 June 1981 16:30 ラムダ変形超能力殺人事件
Murder Case of Lambda Supernatural Transformation Power
The Lambda Factor
Y2.18 15 June 1981 16:30 月よ動け!郷愁の惑星トーラ
Move, Moon! TORA, the Planet of Nostalgia
Seance Spectre
Y2.19 16 June 1981 16:30 招かざる客ドルザック
Dorzak, An Uninvited Guest
Dorzak
Y2.20 17 June 1981 16:30 植民地衛星エントラの悪夢
Nightmare of the Colonised Satellite ENTRA
Devil's Planet
Y2.21 18 June 1981 16:30 謎の宇宙知性体
Mysterious Space Intelligence
The Immunity Syndrome
Y2.22 19 June 1981 16:30 マヤよ!永遠にアルファに...
Maya! Forever is here, ALPHA...
The Dorcons
Not broadcast SPACE: 2100 The Bringers Of Wonder

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Copyright Martin Willey. Thanks to Haruo Toda.