Asia Society to Screen WWII Documentary
Join the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) for a screening of the PBS documentary Atomic Echoes: Untold Stories from World War II. Following the film, ASPI will host a moderated conversation with the director, Beatrice Becette, and producers Karin Tanabe and Victoria Kelly. The conversation will be moderated by Rev. Dr. T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki, and ASPI Managing Director Rorry Daniels will give opening remarks.
Atomic Echoes: Untold Stories from World War II
Thursday, January 29, 2026 from 5:30 p.m. until 7:15 p.m.
Asia Society – 725 Park Avenue (between E. 70th and E. 71st Streets)
Admission: $15 | $8 Asia Society Members
Join the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) for a screening of the PBS documentary Atomic Echoes: Untold Stories from World War II. Following the film, ASPI will host a moderated conversation with the director, Beatrice Becette, and producers Karin Tanabe and Victoria Kelly. The conversation will be moderated by Rev. Dr. T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki, and ASPI Managing Director Rorry Daniels will give opening remarks.
Schedule
5:30 p.m. Documentary Screening
6:30 p.m. Panel Discussion and Q&A
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit Asia Society’s website. A limited number of complimentary tickets will be available to NYC college students with ID at the box office on the day of the screening.
Blue Chalk Media
About the Film
Two friends, connected by family histories on opposite sides of World War II, set out to explore the lasting trauma of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. While Japanese hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) endure lifelong health complications and psychological scars, American atomic veterans who witnessed the bombings’ aftermath also struggle with radiation-related illnesses and PTSD.
About Beatrice Becette – Director
Beatrice Becette is a New York City-based filmmaker who tells stories that spark connection and illuminate the threads that link us across time, place, and experience. She has worked across genres—from investigative and historical documentaries to lifestyle and educational series—and across sectors, partnering with respected news organizations and mission-driven brands.
Her portfolio includes collaborations with clients such as National Geographic, Disney+, Discovery, MAX, NBC, The Washington Post, Lowe’s, and Booz Allen Hamilton. Regardless of format or client, her work remains rooted in a deep belief in the power of storytelling to reveal the human stories behind complex systems and events.
Becette holds a degree in Film from American University with minors in Marketing and Creative Writing.
About Victoria Kelly – Producer
Victoria Kelly’s grandfather, a Navy medic, was one of the first American troops to enter Nagasaki after the dropping of the atomic bomb.
Kelly is the author of four books of fiction and poetry: Homefront, Mrs. Houdini, When the Men Go Off to War, and Prayers of an American Wife. She is also a consultant for corporate and nonprofit thought leadership.
She graduated from Harvard University and received her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She lives in Virginia with her three daughters.
About Karin Tanabe – Producer
A Japanese American nisei, Karin Tanabe’s grandmother’s uncle, Tatsuo Morito, was Japan’s post-war Minister of Education. In 1950, Morito became the first president of Hiroshima University, helping build an institution dedicated to peace.
A novelist and journalist, Tanabe is the author of seven novels published by St. Martin’s Press and Simon & Schuster. A former Politico reporter, she remains a frequent contributor to The Washington Post. Several of her books have been optioned for film and television, most recently A Woman of Intelligence to NBC Universal.
She is a graduate of Vassar College and lives in Washington, D.C.
About Rev. Dr. T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki – Moderator
Rev. Dr. T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki, D. Min. is a Buddhist priest, ordained in the 750-year-old Jodoshinshu tradition of Japanese Buddhism in 1980. A President and Founder of the Heiwa Peace and Reconciliation Foundation of New York, he is a President Emeritus of the Buddhist Council of New York, a Hiroshima Peace Ambassador, a Nagasaki Peace Correspondent, an Honorary Board Member of the Interfaith Center of New York, an Honorary President of Sanghakaya Foundation (India), and New York City Police Department Clergy Liaison.
Since 1994, Rev. Nakagaki has organized an interfaith peace event to commemorate the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. He organized the annual 9/11 WTC Memorial Floating Lanterns Ceremony from 2002 until 2011.
Rev. Nakagaki was ordained in 1980 at the Nishi Honganji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. In 1985, he was sent to the U.S. as an overseas minister, serving first with at the Seattle Buddhist Church, (1985-1989), the Parlier Buddhist Church (1989-1994), and the New York Buddhist Church (1994-2010).
He is an author of the book The Buddhist Swastika and Hitler’s Cross: Rescuing a Symbol of Peace from the Forces of Hate, and the Kindle version of No Worry, No Hurry, Eat Curry: Tracing the Path of the Buddha in India is available in English.
About Rorry Daniels – Opening Remarks
Rorry Daniels is the Managing Director of Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI), where she leads and oversees strategy and operations for ASPI's projects on security, climate change, and trade throughout Asia. She is also a Senior Fellow with ASPI's Center for China Analysis. Previously she was with the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, where she managed the organization's Track II and research portfolio on Asia security issues, with a particular focus on cross-Taiwan Strait relations, U.S.-China relations, and the North Korean nuclear program. Her most recent research project audited the U.S.-China Strategic & Economic Dialogue to evaluate its process and outcomes.
Daniels regularly writes and provides analysis for major media outlets and newsletters on security issues in the U.S. and the Asia Pacific. She is a 2022 Mansfield-Luce scholar, a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the National Committee on North Korea, a Pacific Forum Young Leader, as well as a Korea Society Kim Koo Foundation Fellow (2015 cohort). She earned her M.S. in International Relations at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs, where she focused her studies on East and South Asia. She is proficient in Mandarin and holds a B.A. in Media Studies from Emerson College.
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Staged Reading on Hiroshima Bombing
This production of The Face of Jizo is unique as Miyake will read alongside her father; they are both descendants of survivors of Hiroshima's atomic bombing.
THE FACE OF JIZO 父と暮せば Project
Tuesday, July 22 and Wednesday, July 23 from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
Downtown Art – 70 E. 4th Street (between Bowery and 2nd Avenue)
Admission: Free
This year, we commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In recognition of this event having impacted not only Japan, but the world over, New York-based actor Yuriko Miyake is presenting the play The Face of Jizo by Hisashi Inoue. The play specifically revolves around the Hiroshima atomic bombing. Subtitles will be provided by Roger Pulvers, the translator and filmmaker who worked on the translation of this piece. This production is unique as Miyake will read alongside her father; they are both descendants of survivors of Hiroshima's atomic bombing. Together they will share a staged reading of this masterfully crafted work.
Admission is free, but registration is required. RSVP through Eventbrite. Children under age 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
An Extraordinary Reading in NYC: “The Face of Jizo” by Hisashi Inoue—Performed by a Real Parent and Child from Hiroshima
This summer in New York City, witness a rare and deeply moving staged reading of The Face of Jizo (Chichi to Kuraseba), a powerful play written by acclaimed Japanese playwright Hisashi Inoue.
What makes this performance extraordinary?
It is brought to life not by actors alone—but by a real-life father and daughter from Hiroshima, the very city where the story is set.
Performed in the heart of a nuclear-armed nation, this reading offers a poignant reflection on memory, grief, love, and resilience across generations. Despite its harrowing context—the aftermath of the atomic bombing—the story gently unfolds as a beautiful portrayal of a father’s quiet love and a daughter’s quiet sorrow.
Whether you are drawn to literature, history, peace activism, or simply human stories told with grace—this is a rare opportunity to experience a masterpiece of postwar Japanese theater in an intimate and powerful way.
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