Japan’s About-Face

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

Japan’s About-Face, which aired as part of the PBS series Wide Angle, offers a remarkable window into the shifting role of the military in postwar Japanese society. Filmmakers follow National Defense Academy cadets preparing for a future that may involve overseas deployment and meet with a group of peace activists on a grueling two-month 750-mile protest march from Hiroshima to Tokyo. Viewers also witness joint maneuvers with the U.S. Marine Corps, a surveillance flight over the Sea of Japan and the DDH Hyuga–the first Japanese aircraft carrier built since WW II. Post-screening discussion with Emmy-nominated producer and writer Micah Fink and Richard Samuels, Ford Professor of International Studies, MIT.  Japan’s About Face is a production of the PBS series Wide Angle and Thirteen/WNET New York.

Tickets
$10/$8 Japan Society members/$5 seniors & students

Buy Tickets Online or call the Japan Society Box Office at (212) 715-1258, Mon. – Fri. 11 am – 6 pm.