Auckland rejects bid to install statue memorializing WWII 'comfort women'

Local authorities have rejected a New Zealand park installation of a statue marking World War II atrocities by Japanese aggressors, following public feedback and opposition from the Japanese embassy.

The local government in Auckland city announced the decision after a meeting on April 28 regarding the installation of the statue commemorating "survivors of wartime sexual violence" and recognizing "women who were enslaved by the Japanese military".

The proposed Statue of Peace, gifted to New Zealand by the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance nongovernmental organization, was planned for the Korean Garden at Barry's Point Reserve, according to the Auckland Council.

Kim O'Neill, head of land and property advisory, Auckland Council, told China Daily that council staff recommended that the board "decline a proposal for a statue for Barry's Point Reserve based on the results of the public consultation and feedback received, which demonstrated a lack of community support for the proposal".

The local board consequently "voted to decline the application", O'Neill said.

"This was a difficult decision, and one we did not make lightly," local board chair Trish Deans said in a statement on April 29.

"We recognize the significance of the history the statue represents, and we acknowledge the survivors whose stories it seeks to honour," Deans said.

The proposed bronze statue depicts a young girl seated next to an empty chair, with an accompanying plaque explaining the statue's cultural and historical context.

Historians have estimated that at least 200,000 "comfort women" were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese wartime imperial army in the Pacific theater.

In a submission to the local council, Japan's ambassador to New Zealand, Makoto Osawa, opposed the statue and said that it is "the same one which has been used as a symbol of criticism against Japan in other countries, and it has brought division and conflict instead of reconciliation".

Rebekah Jaung, chair of the Aotearoa New Zealand Statue of Peace Committee leading a local women-led grassroots group to help bring the installation to Auckland, told China Daily that it was "familiar with how the Japanese government has opposed similar memorials elsewhere, but it's pretty shocking that a country like Japan would so blatantly try to silence a monument honouring women on the other side of the world".

"The Statue is relevant here because we and our histories belong here. Furthermore she invites us to take part in preventing violence against women everywhere. It encourages learning about how the systems that allowed this to happen operate, refusing to turn away from uncomfortable histories, and teaching future generations that accountability matters more than convenience," Jaung said.

"We are extremely disappointed by the decision to decline the proposal. At the same time, we feel heartened and deeply grateful for the support shown by our community throughout this campaign. We remain committed to standing with survivors of gender-based and conflict-related violence, and to continuing this work in whatever form we can," she said.

Feedback on the proposal received more than 670 submissions, with 57 percent of individuals and 15 of 20 organizations opposing the installation, according to the council.

Submissions "reflected a range of views", with some supporting the proposal "as an opportunity for reflection and education, while others raised concerns about community tension" and the suitability of the park as a venue, it said.

alexishooi@chinadaily.com.cn