Please join us on Thursday, February 16 at Wilson Sonsini in Palo Alto to view a powerful documentary about the little-known story of Shigeaki Mori and his life-long quest to make known the identities and to honor the memory of the 12 American prisoners of war killed by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.  Following the screening of the film, former US Ambassador to Japan and San Francisco native John Roos will talk about his experience of being the first US emissary to attend the annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony, which paved the way for President Obama’s historic visit to Hiroshima.
In the summer of 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. Hundreds of thousands were killed. What few people know is that 12 American POWs were on the ground in Hiroshima, 1,300 feet from ground zero. Two of the twelve Americans were Normand Brissette of Lowell, Massachusetts, and Ralph Neal of Corbin, Kentucky.
On that same early August morning, a young Japanese boy, Shigeaki Mori, would witness the explosion. He survived that day, but his life changed forever. Mr. Mori would go on to document the bombing and through his research, would find evidence of the 12 American POWs.
“Paper Lanterns” is a film about Normand Brissette, Ralph Neal, and Mr. Mori’s struggle to account for their stories in the years and decades that followed the end of World War II. This story is about the families that struggled to find the truth, and one man’s effort to give them the gift of closure and make an important contribution to the remarkable reconciliation between two nations that were once at war and are now close friends.
Guest Speaker
John V. Roos
Founder & General Partner, Geodesic Capital, Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan
John V. Roos served as the U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 2009 to 2013. He is currently Founding Partner of Geodesic Capital, a later stage venture capital firm located in Silicon Valley. Ambassador Roos also serves as Senior Advisor to Centerview Partners, a preeminent mergers and acquisitions advisory firm, on the Board of Directors of Salesforce.com and Sony Corporation, on the global advisory board of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and as Chair of the Advisory Board of the Toyota Research Institute. From 1985 to 2009, Ambassador Roos practiced corporate and securities law at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the leading law firm in the United States in the representation of technology, life sciences, and emerging growth companies, where he served as Chief Executive Officer. Ambassador Roos is a graduate of Stanford University and Stanford Law.

Schedule:

• 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM Networking/Registration
• 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Film Screening & Guest Speaker John V. Roos
• 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM Networking & Reception

Light appetizers and drinks provided.

Purchase Tickets:

• No refunds after Thursday, February 9
• Online registration closes at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, February 15

The event venue has been provided by generous support from: