The Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association organized a special program in Tokyo on August 10 in support of Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange/dioxin. The Musashino Cultural House’s conference hall was fully packed with participants, and many had to stand the whole afternoon watching the program. The programme, comprised of a film screening, a seminar on Agent Orange/dioxin, and a concert, delivered a message of peace, and a broad vision of the consequences of the toxic chemicals the US military used during the Vietnam War half a century ago. The organizing board wanted to highlight the agonizing pains that Vietnamese dioxin victims have suffered over the years. Highlight of the event was the screening of Agent Orange – A Personal Requiem directed by Sakada Masako. The documentary, shot in 2007, has won many prestigious awards in Japan and around the globe. The documentary starts with a story of Greg Davis, a Vietnam War veteran, who married Masako, a Japanese woman. They enjoyed a beautiful life until a liver cancer developed and claimed Davis’s life in 2003 when he was 54. His death left behind a big question that needs to be answered. Masako wondered why the defoliants the US military used to spray in Vietnam killed her husband. The film shares the deep sorrow of a Japanese woman who lost her husband because of Agent orange/dioxin and gives viewers the true vision of the terrible effects of the toxic chemicals in Vietnam. Some participants burst into tears watching Vietnamese victims of dioxin, especially innocent children, struggle to overcome daily lingering pains caused by the chemicals. During the seminar, director Masako and international photojournalist Goro Nakamura shared stories and personal experiences about the harmful effects of Agent Orange / dioxin on humans. Nakamura’s two well-known photo collections “My Mother is infected with Agent Orange” and "Agent Orange on the battlefield "give ample evidence of the harmful effects of Agent Orange/Dioxin. The program was concluded with a charity concert to support Vietnamese dioxin victims. (vovnews.vn Aug 11)
