ACF 150: "Japan's About-Face" - Documentary Film to Premiere 09.24.08

Members of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces during Forest Light II training exercises in Hokkaido. [Photo Credit: Sawa Matsueda]

The premiere theatrical screening of Japan’s About-Face will take place at Japan Society on Wednesday, September 24th at 6;30 pm. The film is a groundbreaking documentary on today’s Japanese military forces by Emmy-nominated film producer/director Micah Fink. The one-hour screening will be followed by a discussion with the director and Richard Samuels, Ford Professor of International Studies, MIT and one of the most respected scholars of postwar Japanese history.

Cadets at the Japanese National Defense Academy during their entrance ceremony. [Photo Credit: Sawa Matsueda]

Japan's About-Face provides a fascinating look into the changing role of the military in postwar Japan. The filmmakers follow cadets at the National Defense Academy preparing for duties that may involve overseas deployment, meet with a group of peace activists on a grueling two-month 700-mile protest march from Hiroshima to Tokyo, and show footage of joint maneuvers with the U.S. Marine Corps, including surveillance flights over the Sea of Japan and the DDH Hyuga, the first Japanese aircraft carrier built since WW II.

Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street between 1st and 2nd avenues.

For reservations, call the box office at 212-715-1258. For further information call 212-832-1155 or visit http://www.japansociety.org/.