'Peace statue' out of sight

Japan should not suppress freedom of ｅxpression

Japan has invited the ire of Koreans by stifling freedom of ｅxpression in relation to a statue of a girl symbolizing victims of wartime sex slavery. This comes as Seoul-Tokyo relations are at the worst level in decades.

The statue has been closed off to the public at an international art festival in Aichi Prefecture. The "Statue of Peace," created by two South Korean artists, had been on display at the Aichi Triennale. The decision to remove the statue from view was made three days after Thursday's opening under pressure from the Japanese government and right-wing civic groups.

On Saturday, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga and Aichi Prefecture Governor Hideki Omura told the event's organizers to halt the exhibition of the statue. Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura also demanded the statue be removed, saying the statue did not have to be displayed at a venue funded with taxpayers' money.

Organizers told reporters they would close the section due largely to growing safety concerns. Many emails, phone calls and faxes reportedly threatened public safety at the Triennale.

It is lamentable that Japan has escalated the ongoing crisis, prompted by the unfortunate past encompassing the neighboring countries, beyond trade and culture. Japan is certainly going too far, and the international community may well hit out at Japan's apparent censorship of the event. In a joint statement, curators of the art festival denounced the notification to remove the statue as the "biggest postwar censorship" and "historic violence."

Tokyo can have grievances about court rulings in Seoul over wartime forced labor and the South Korean government's indifference to what has irritated Japan. Nonetheless, Japan's move to suppress free ｅxpression raises questions about whether Japan is truly a democracy. on the heels of this censorship brouhaha, Japan must ramp up efforts to prevent the current conflict from spilling into other areas.