Sandy, a geologist, finds herself stuck on a field trip to the Pilbara desert with a Japanese man she finds inscrutable, annoying and decidedly arrogant. Hiromitsu's view of her is not much better. Things go from bad to worse when they become stranded in one of the remotest regions on earth. Japanese Story is a journey of change and discovery.

Sue Brooks trained at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School and directed the award-winning short films The Drover's Wife and An Ordinary Woman before her first feature Road to Nhill, which reaped glowing reviews and international recognition. Her TV credits include the youth drama 99.9 Raw FM and SeaChange, both for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and she has been nominated for two Australian Film Institute Awards for her direction on SeaChange and Six Pack.

Sue Maslin's credits as an independent producer include the 1997 feature Road to Nhill and documentaries The Edge of the Possible, the award-winning A Mirror to the People-The Governor-General, The Highest Court, Conspiracy, Koories and Cops, Mr Neal is Entitled to be an Agitator (winner, 1991 Australian Human Rights Award) and the 1987 Australian Film Institute Award-nominated Thanks Girls and Goodbye. Sue also co-produced Black River, recipient of the 1993 Grand Prix at the IMZ Opera Awards in Paris.