Japan's removal of 'comfort woman' statue backfires

A Comfort Women statue was pulled from the Aichi Triennale of Japan on Saturday, causing a stir. The organizer said safety was the reason but some alleged the role of right-wing politicians behind the decision./ Yonhap

Culture ministry expresses regret over the decision

By Jung Hae-myoung

South Korea expressed deep regret over the withdrawal of the Peace Statue, a statue representing Korean “comfort women,” from the Aichi Triennale on Saturday, saying the Japanese government's actions violate freedom of expression.

During a daily news briefing on Monday, Kim Jin-gon, spokesman of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said freedom of expression should be respected under any circumstances. “We hope that the statue is returned to the exhibition as soon as possible.”

However, Kim said the culture ministry has no plan to stage a formal protest against Japan regarding the organizing committee's decision, noting bilateral exchanges in culture and sports are so important that they must be continued, despite the escalating tensions between the two countries.

The Aichi Triennale organizing committee of Japan concurred the view that the withdrawing of the statue is deemed to be censorship and thus against the constitution.

During a news conference on Monday, Hideaki Omura, Aichi Governor and head of the organizing committee, reportedly was critical of the Japanese government for the act of censorship and noted the government needs to set an example in abiding by the constitution.

But he said the decision to shut down the “After Freedom of Expression” section was made for the safety of the public, not due to pressure from the Japanese government.

Suga Yoshihide, the chief cabinet secretary of Japan explained they pulled the section because “it breaks heart of the Japanese people.”

The withdrawal of the Peace Statue backfired. Japanese artists and local media criticized the Japanese government, as well as right-wing groups, for flexing their muscles to interrupt artistic events.

According to the Asahi Shimbun, art director Tsuda Daiske said at the conference: “I was warned by others in the industry that there would be some hazards when opening the exhibition and they suggested necessary solutions, but this was unexpected. This is my responsibility.”

P.E.N club, a literary party in Japan, issued a statement titled, “The exhibition should go on.”

It said artists must be guaranteed freedom of expression while those who see their art should be able to freely interpret them, claiming art is meaningless if there is no such room for interpretation.

The Japanese media was also critical of the shutdown of the After the Freedom of Expression section. Asahi Shimbun ran the story on its front page, criticizing the violation of the freedom of expression.

Tokyo Shimbun also covered the issue on the withdrawal of the Peace Statue on the front page, along with P.E.N club's statement.

Korean artists who were invited to the main exhibition of the Triennale also boycotted the show.

Lim Min-wook, the artist of “Adieu News,” and Park Chan-kyong who created “Child Solider” said to the curator and art director that they would withdraw their works from the exhibition.

Meanwhile, an increasing number of people―both Japanese and Koreans―are signing up for a petition on social networks to protect the statue.

The withdrawal of Statue of Peace came after the Japanese government exerted its influence to have the Statue of Peace removed from Ravensbruk Memorial Museum in Germany. The government requested it be taken down in April 2017 and managed succeeded after demanding again on January 2018.

The Aichi Triennale is an international art exhibition opening every three years that started in Nagoya, Japan.