ANPO: Art War reveals the untold story of Japan’s 1960 pro-democracy movement through a treasure trove of paintings, photographs, contemporary art and films by Japan’s foremost postwar artists. The ongoing presence of U.S. military bases, fused with traumatic memories of war proved a crucial catalyst to Japanese artists who created a vast cultural legacy, excavated to narrate the defining event of postwar Japan. The film also explores the interwoven roles of victim, perpetrator and collaborator that resonate in today’s political climate.
Organization of American Historians 2012 Erik Barnouw Award Recipient – Click here for full text
Teaching Guide Videos
John Dower Teaching Guide Video Transcript
Film Clips for Educators
MIT Visualizing Cultures Teaching Units
- Protest Art in 1950s Japan: The Forgotten Reportage Painters by Linda Hoaglund
- Tokyo 1960: Days of Rage & Grief: Hamaya Hiroshi’s Photos of the Anti-Security-Treaty Protests by Justin Jesty
Recent articles about the U.S. military presence in Japan
- Odd Couple: Frank and Paul Target Military Spending (NPR): “We don’t need 15,000 marines in Okinawa – they’re a hangover from a war that ended 65 years ago.
- Breaking up is Hard to Do: Blog post about recent political changes in Japan and their impact on the issue of U.S. military bases in Japan.
- Okinawan Environmentalists Put Robert Gates and DOD on Trial: The Dugong and the Fate of the Henoko Air Station
Background surrounding the presence of U.S. bases in Japan.
- Map of U.S. Military Bases on Okinawa
- Escape from Dependency: An Agenda for Transforming the Structure of Japanese Security and the US-Japan Relationship
- The Girard Incident: Summary of case where a U.S. soldier shot a Japanese woman in the back, sparking a major crisis in U.S.-Japan Relations.
- Overcoming American Military Base Pollution in Asia: Japan, Okinawa and the Philippines
- Dugong v. Rumsfeld: Summary of case brought by environmental organizations against the U.S. Department of Defense to protect the Okinawa Dugong, a nearly extinct cousin of the manatee.
- The US-Japan Status of Forces Agreement and Okinawan Anger
ANPO: Art X War 
