About the Issue:
Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution reads:

Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. 2) In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.

In the aftermath of World War II, Japan’s new pacifist constitution renounced the right to wage war and maintain military forces. Instead, Japan created the Self-Defense Forces with a strictly defensive mandate.

In recent years, though, the line between defense and offense has blurred. In 2004, Japan sent its Ground Self-Defense Forces to Iraq — the first deployment of Japanese soldiers in an active combat zone in over 60 years.

With North Korea test-launching ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan and China’s economic and military expansion, Japan has started reconsidering its regional strategy.

Today, Japan has a $40 billion military budget, the fifth largest in the world.

About the Film:
Japan’s About-Face is a remarkable window into the shifting role of the military in post-war Japanese society.

WIDE ANGLE has acquired unprecedented access to the National Defense Academy, Japan’s “West Point.” We follow Defense Academy cadets preparing for a future that may involve overseas deployment, and meet with a group of peace activists — some of them atom bomb survivors — on a grueling two month, 750-mile protest march from Hiroshima to Tokyo. We 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 WWII.

Japan’s About-Face offers new insight into the future of Asian geopolitics.

The exchange is symbolic of improving relations between the two rival Asian powers and former WWII enemies.

The Sazanami carried food, blankets and emergency supplies for victims of China’s recent earthquake. Crew members are scheduled to participate in carefully choreographed “friendship” events, including a concert and reception.

But the visit is not without controversy, as many Chinese are still bitter over Japan’s invasion and occupation of their country during the 1930s and 1940s.

Last month, Japan decided against delivering aid to earthquake victims by means of military aircraft because of Chinese concerns about the presence of the Japanese military on their soil. A Japanese newspaper reported that a concert scheduled for today was canceled because “part of public opinion in China is against the Japanese destroyer’s visit.”

Still, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said that the visit would “help enhance the friendship and mutual trust between the two counties.

For more on the expanding role of the Japanese military, watch Japan’s About-Face, premiering on WIDE ANGLE on July 8th.

Critics argue that it could lead to military build-up, but the legislation was overwhelmingly approved 221-14 by Japan’s national legislature, the Diet. The law detracts from the 1969 ban on military use of space for peaceful purposes. It is also speculated that the law could create strong ties with the U.S. in missile defense.

Leading space advocate and architect of the new law, Takeo Kawamura, envisions the creation of a Japanese version of NASA. He plans to double Japan’s space budget over the next decade.

Japan began ramping up military research of outer space in 1998, after North Korea launched a missile over mainland Japan into the Pacific. In 2003, Japan launched its first spy satellites to improve surveillance of the region, including North Korea.

This summer, WIDE ANGLE explores the evolution of Japan’s re-militarization. Japan’s About-Face provides a window into the shifting role of Japan’s post-war military within the context of Asian geopolitics.

After World War II, Japan enacted a new American-authored constitution that states that “the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.”

But concerned about North Korea’s nuclear ballistic missiles, China’s growing military strength, and their own role in international security operations, Japan may be doing an about-face.

The US government is supportive of this change. Thomas Schieffer, the American ambassador to Japan, encouraged the Japanese government to end its self-imposed limit of 1percent of the GDP for military spending, saying Tuesday “Japan needs to spend more on defense.”

WIDE ANGLE will be exploring the evolution of Japan’s military this summer with an unexpected portrait of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. Our cameras were given unprecedented access to the National Defense Academy as well as operations of the SDF around the country. Japan’s About-Face premieres on July 8th. Check your local listings for the exact time, and check back here for regular updates about our upcoming season and all of WIDE ANGLE’S programs.

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