TOKYO — Members of Japan’s parliament, the Diet, held a screening of the film “Reagan,” starring Dennis Quaid, joined by the film’s producer, Mark Joseph.
The screening followed on the heels of the film’s U.S. release, which hit No. 1 at the box office on Sept. 5, 2024, and the top of the DVD/BluRay charts in October, and a similar screening for the U.S. House of Representatives last September hosted by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.
The screening was co-sponsored by the Japanese Parliamentary Committee for a World Federation, its special advisor and former Diet member Seishirō Etō, and current member of the Diet Kazumasa Okajima.
The screening was attended by members across party lines, including Okajima and former Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone, son of the late Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, who currently serves as chairman of the Foreign Affairs Research Council of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
In addition to current members of the Diet, the screening was also attended by dignitaries including business leaders like Mitsuo Ohashi and Dr. Sukehiro Hasegawa, former special representative of the U.N. secretary-general.
Secretary-General of the Japanese Parliamentary Committee for World Federation Masakuni Tanimoto said, “I was truly impressed by what I saw,” and called the film’s presentation “inspiring.”
“I have watched this film develop for many years and I congratulate Mark Joseph and his team for making this film,” said Rep. Kazumasa Okajima, whose district is in Chiba Prefercture. “We all have much to learn from Ronald Reagan and this was a great way to learn more about his policies and who he was.”
“It was a rare honor to be able to screen our film for Japan’s leaders,” said Joseph. “I was especially pleased to be joined by Mr. Nakasone as his father met with me a decade ago to help us get the story right and we were able to feature him in the film in conversation with President Reagan.”
Prime Minister Nakasone was played by veteran Japanese actor Hideo Kimura, who was across town at a screening of the film at the Damah Film Festival.
Current Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was presented at an earlier meeting with a DVD copy of the film by Joseph.
“Reagan,” released in theaters on Aug. 30, 2024, tied with “Wild Robot” as the most popular film of the year among filmgoers with a 98% rating at Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter. Universal Contant Group is handling distribution of the film outside of North America.