“STAR WARS: EPISODE I – THE PHANTOM MENACE / DARTH MAUL × JAPANESE ENVIRONMENT AGENCY”, Original Japanese Government Environment Month Tie-Up Poster 1999, B2 Size (c.51.5 × 72.8 cm) T183

“Let’s protect it together, everyone’s Earth.”

“スター・ウォーズ エピソード1 / ダース・モール × 環境庁” (1999) – ORIGINAL JAPANESE B2 PUBLIC SERVICE / ENVIRONMENT MONTH POSTER – “みんなで守ろう、みんなの地球。” (GOVERNMENT-USE / 非売品)
Ultra Rare | Japanese Environment Agency Tie-Up | Lucasfilm / 20th Century Fox Licensed | Not for Sale | 1999 Issue | 51.5 × 72.8 cm (B2)

This is an original Japanese B2 public-service / environmental-awareness poster produced in 1999 for Japan’s Environment Month campaign, featuring Darth Maul from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. This is not a standard theatrical release poster. It is an officially licensed Japanese Government × Star Wars tie-up poster, issued by the Japanese Environment Agency — now the Ministry of the Environment — to promote environmental awareness in June 1999, shortly before the film’s Japanese theatrical release.

Large-format public-service posters of this type were produced for practical display rather than commercial sale, making surviving examples — especially in excellent+ unused condition — exceptionally difficult to find.

Campaign & context (what it is)
This poster was created for Japan’s 環境月間 — Environment Month — in June 1999. The lower text states:

「6月は環境月間です。」
— “June is Environment Month.”

It also notes:

「ルーカス フィルムと20世紀フォックス映画も応援します。」
— “Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox also support this cause.”

The bottom line reads:

「環境月間は環境庁が主唱しています。」
— “Environment Month is promoted by the Environment Agency.”

The result is a highly unusual and distinctly Japanese public-awareness poster: a government environmental campaign using one of the most recognisable pop-culture images of the late 1990s.

The message (translation)
The large headline at the top reads:

「みんなで守ろう、みんなの地球。」
— “Let’s protect it together, everyone’s Earth.”

The message is direct, public-minded, and memorable: environmental protection is presented as a shared responsibility.

Star Wars, Darth Maul & Japan in 1999
In 1999, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was one of the most anticipated cinema releases in the world, and its Japanese release campaign carried enormous visibility. This poster uses Darth Maul, one of the defining visual icons of Episode I, to draw immediate attention to a public-service message rather than a purely theatrical advertisement.

The design incorporates the character-specific Episode I language:

「ひとつの真実」
— “One Truth”

「ひとつの憎悪」
— “One Hatred”

The contrast is striking: the menacing image of Darth Maul, a figure of darkness and conflict, is placed within a civic campaign asking people to protect the Earth. This makes the poster a fascinating piece of Japanese advertising history — part Star Wars collectible, part government ephemera, part environmental-awareness design.

Poster design (what you see here)
The central image features Darth Maul wielding his double-bladed lightsaber against a cool grey-blue background, adapted from the well-known Episode I character poster campaign. The composition is clean, dramatic, and highly recognisable, but here it is reframed by Japanese public-service typography.

The top red slogan gives the poster its civic message, while the large blue text at the bottom announces Environment Month. The Star Wars logo appears beneath Darth Maul, and the lower-left copyright line confirms ©1999 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM.

About the B2 format (size & rarity)
Japanese B2 posters measure approximately 51.5 × 72.8 cm. This is the standard Japanese theatrical poster size, but this example is not a regular cinema poster. It was produced as a non-commercial public-service poster, intended for official display during a limited campaign window.

Because posters like this were generally displayed in civic spaces, schools, public buildings, or campaign locations — and then discarded after the campaign ended — survival rates are typically far lower than for conventional theatrical posters retained by cinemas or collectors.

Why this example is extraordinary (rarity & market)
This poster sits at an important collecting intersection: Star Wars, Japanese government public-service design, 1990s environmental campaigning, and non-theatrical Japanese ephemera. For Star Wars completists, this is a particularly desirable object because it is not part of the normal commercial poster stream. It represents a very specific Japanese tie-up between Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox, and the Environment Agency.

Its appeal lies not only in its rarity, but also in its unusual cultural framing: Darth Maul used to promote environmental protection in Japan. That combination makes it far more distinctive than a standard Episode I theatrical poster.

Condition
Excellent+ condition, especially for a public-service poster from 1999. This example appears never displayed, with strong colour, clean paper, sharp presentation, and only very minor signs of age and handling. The reverse is blank. Please review the front and back photographs for exact condition detail.

It is vintage and over 25 years old.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.

An exceptionally rare 1999 Japanese Environment Agency × Star Wars B2 public-service poster featuring Darth Maul — a highly unusual and important piece of Japanese Star Wars ephemera, combining Episode I imagery with the civic message: “Let’s protect it together, everyone’s Earth.”