Filmmakers Give Insight into New Documentary About the Current State of Postwar Japanese Military

For Immediate Release

Japan's About-Face

** Film Screening & Discussion **

Wednesday, September 24 at 6:30 pm, 2008, at Japan Society

ドキュメンタリー作品『Japan's About-Face』上映会＆討論会

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

Providing an overview of today’s Japanese military forces in the context of the U.S.-Japan alliance, Japan's About-Face proves a remarkable window into the shifting role of the military in postwar Japanese society. 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.

About Micah Fink
Micah Fink is founder of Common Good Productions and an Emmy-nominated producer (H5N1 - Killer Flu, 2005) specializing in international affairs, public health, national security, and environmental issues. He has produced documentary films and special series for the last decade for PBS "Wide Angle," PBS "FRONTLINE," Thirteen/WNET, National Geographic Television and ABC News. From 2002-2005, Fink helped launch the PBS International News and Public Affairs series "Wide Angle" and supervised the finishing and broadcast of 15 documentaries. His freelance writing has appeared in many papers, websites and magazines, including: In These Times, The Multinational Monitor, The Washington City Paper, and The National Catholic Reporter. Fink earned a MA in Journalism from Columbia University and a BA in Comparative Literature from Cornell University.　Fink was a Fellow of the United States-Japan Media Fellows Program (2007-2008) by Japan Society. Japan’s About-Face premiered on the PBS television series WIDE ANGLE on July 8, 2008.

About Richard Samuels
Richard J. Samuels is Ford International Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also the Founding Director of the MIT Japan Program. From 2001-2007 he was Chairman of the Japan-US Friendship Commission and in 2005 he was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His books include Politics of Regional Policy in Japan (1983), and Securing Japan: Tokyo's Grand Strategy and the Future of East Asia (Cornell University Press, 2007), Machiavelli's Children: Leaders and Their Legacies in Italy and Japan, (2003), "Rich Nation, Strong Army": National Security and the Technological Transformation of Japan (1994), and The Business of the Japanese State: Energy Markets in Comparative and Historical Perspective (1987). He was editor-in-chief of The Encyclopedia of U.S. National Security, and his articles have appeared in a variety of publications such as Daedalus, Foreign Affairs, and The Washington Quarterly. Dr. Samuels received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980.

About Japan Society
Founded in 1907 by prominent New York City business people and philanthropists, Japan Society has evolved over 100 years into an internationally recognized nonprofit organization presenting a full range of programs within arts and culture, business, education, family, and public policy. Through over 100 events annually, the Society creates rich encounters and exchanges that offer opportunities to experience Japanese culture; foster sustained and open dialogue on issues important to the U.S., Japan, and East Asia; and improve access to information on Japan.

Tickets and Information
Japan’s About-Face takes place Wednesday, September 24, at 6:30pm. Tickets are $10/$8 Japan Society Members/$5 seniors & students. Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street between First and Second avenues (accessible by the 4/5/6 at 42nd Street-Grand Central Station or the E and V at Lexington Avenue and 53rd St.) For reservations, call the box office at 212-715-1258. For further information call 212-832-1155 or visit www.japansociety.org.


Japan’s About-Face is made possible by funding from the Lila Wallace-reader’s Digest Endowment Fund. Additional support is provided by Jack and Susy Wadsworth, Chris A. Wachenheim, the Sandy Heck Lecture Fund, and Ms. Hiroko Onoyama.

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For further information, images and interview requests, please refer to:

Aya Akeura
Japan Society
T: (212) 715-1292
F: (212) 715-1262
E: aakeura@japansociety.org

Kuniko Shiobara
Japan Society
T: 212-715-1249
F: (212) 715-1262
E: kshiobara@japansociety.org