"The bronze statue depicts a seated girl next to an empty chair and was given to New Zealand by the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance, a non-government organisation, to commemorate survivors of wartime sexual violence."
"Historians say as many as 200,000 women, mostly from Korea, but also China, south-east Asia, as well as a small number from Japan and Europe, were forced or tricked into working in military brothels between 1932 and 1945."
"According to testimony from surviving women, they were forced to have sex with 10 to 30 men a day in dimly lit rooms furnished only with beds."
"In a submission to Auckland council, the Japanese ambassador, Makoto Osawa, said needlessly stirring up interest in the issue could become a burden not only for Japan and South Korea's cooperation but for Japan-New Zealand relations."
The Japanese embassy has warned that erecting a statue in Auckland to honor women forced into sexual slavery during World War II could jeopardize Japan-New Zealand relations. The statue, depicting a girl next to an empty chair, was gifted by the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance. Historians estimate that up to 200,000 women were coerced into military brothels. The Japanese ambassador expressed concerns that the statue could strain cooperation between Japan and South Korea, as well as relations with New Zealand.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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