After being advised by the State Department to lie low and let diplomacy take its course, today's trial of Laura Ling and Euna Lee in Pyongyang has convinced their families to appeal directly to the North Korean government for the release of their loved ones.

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

A round-up of today's global news headlines.

A round-up of how nations around the globe are dealing with the economic downturn: bailouts, I.M.F. loans, and schadenfreude.

Learn more about Japanese history, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, and the U.S.-Japanese alliance with these web resources.

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

WIDE ANGLE speaks with Richard J. Samuels, the founding director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Japan Program, about the relationship between the U.S. and Japan.

Filmmaker Micah Fink talks about how and why he was granted the access necessary to make "Japan's About-Face". Fink also reflects on whether Japan is still a pacifist nation.

View an interactive map of Japan's SDF deployments around the world.

Read about Japan's military history, from ancient times to the present.