Comfort women statue in front of the former Japanese embassy in Seoul, South Korea. (©JAPAN Forward/Kenji Yoshida)
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Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, decided not to approve the installation of a comfort women statue on city-owned land, rejecting a request from Korean community groups on April 28.
The Japanese Embassy in New Zealand and others had urged the city not to allow the erection. Also drawing significant opposition from local residents, the local board concluded that the installation could create division within the community.
Had such an anti-Japanese and highly political monument been installed, it could have had a range of negative consequences, including deterioration in relations between Japan and New Zealand. But the city's decision prevents that outcome.
Auckland Says No
Comfort women statues installed by Korean-affiliated groups have been confirmed in around 30 locations in the US, Europe, and elsewhere. Their inscriptions often state that the Japanese military forcibly abducted girls and women and turned them into "sex slaves." This is baseless propaganda aimed at denigrating Japan.
Although Auckland has refused to allow the statue, Korean-affiliated groups may still seek to install it elsewhere in New Zealand. To that end, the Japanese government should remain vigilant to prevent such a move.
A South Korean civic group reportedly donated the statue, and another Korean-affiliated group sought to install it in a Korean garden on city-owned land in Auckland. The city's board initially approved the plan last year, but later put it on hold and reopened its review after questions and concerns emerged.
When the board solicited public comments in January this year, it received more than 600 responses, nearly 60% of which opposed the statue's installation.
The Battle Moves On
Makoto Osawa, Japan's ambassador to New Zealand, also strongly opposed the plan. In a written submission, he cautioned that it could have "a significant impact" on diplomatic relations between Tokyo and Wellington, among other concerns.
In Berlin's Mitte district, a Korean-affiliated group also installed Germany's first comfort women statue on public land a few years ago. After the Japanese government urged the German government and other institutions to have it removed, the district forcibly took it down in October last year.
However, the statue in Mitte is now reportedly being displayed on nearby private property. Even if such statues are not placed on public land, Japan cannot turn a blind eye to the unjust anti-Japanese propaganda being proliferated.
Tokyo should press countries in the West and elsewhere to remove all comfort women statues. Those countries, for their part, must not lend support to Korean-affiliated groups.
RELATED:
- Berlin's Comfort Women Statue Removed After Years of Standoff
- South Korean Civic Group to Berlin: Remove the Comfort Women Statue
Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun
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