New Zealand officials rejected on Wednesday an application to install a statue commemorating so-called 'comfort women' enslaved by Japan before and during the Second World War, after Tokyo suggested it could harm diplomatic relations.
Background of the Issue
Japan forced up to 200,000 women from Korea, China, and Southeast Asia into sexual slavery from 1932 until 1945. The issue remains a sore point in Tokyo's relations with its neighbours. The Korean Garden Trust had sought to install a statue honouring the survivors at Barry's Point reserve in the Auckland suburb of Takapuna.
Council Decision
After public consultation, the local council declined the application. 'This was a difficult decision, and one we did not make lightly,' said council board chair Trish Deans. 'We carefully considered staff advice and the feedback received from the community through a formal consultation process.' Among the submissions was a letter from the Japanese ambassador to New Zealand, Makoto Osawa, which claimed the statue could 'cause division and conflict within New Zealand's wonderful multi-ethnic and multicultural society and between Japanese and Korean communities.'
Diplomatic Pressure
Wellington's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that the Japanese government had made 'formal representations' about the proposed statue. Deans noted that many submitters supported the statue as an opportunity to learn and reflect on wartime history. 'We recognise the significance of the history the statue represents, and we acknowledge the survivors whose stories it seeks to honour,' she said.
Historical Context
Some historians estimate that as many as 200,000 women—mostly from Korea, but also China, Southeast Asia, and a small number from Japan and Europe—were forced or tricked into working in military brothels between 1932 and 1945. They were euphemistically referred to as 'comfort women,' a term Japan continues to use despite survivors objecting to the label. The women were forced to have sex with Japanese soldiers in frontline, makeshift brothels, with some reporting 10 to 30 men per day. Forced abortions were commonplace.
Strained Relations
The relationship between Japan and South Korea has become strained since the first survivor went public in the early 1990s. The first 'peace statue' honouring the women was erected in Seoul in 2011. Since then, dozens more have been erected overseas, prompting Japan to call for their removal. In 2018, Osaka ended its 60-year 'sister city' relationship with San Francisco after the city agreed to recognise a similar statue. In 2020, Japan reacted angrily to statues in South Korea that appeared to depict former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prostrating before a young woman. In 2025, a peace statue was removed from Berlin after a years-long dispute.
Japan's Position
Japan insists the 'comfort women' issue was settled 'finally and irreversibly' by a 2015 agreement between Abe and then-South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Abe agreed to provide 1 billion yen ($9 million) in 'humanitarian' funds to a foundation supporting survivors, while Park agreed not to raise the issue in international forums. However, Park's liberal successor, Moon Jae-in, effectively dissolved the fund in 2018, stating it did not consider the feelings of survivors and the South Korean public. Successive Japanese administrations have refused to provide official recompense, insisting that all compensation claims were settled under a 1965 bilateral peace treaty.
Public Consultation Results
The proposal for Auckland's statue received 672 submissions, with 51% of individuals strongly opposing it, and 13 out of 21 organisations also against it, according to the council.
This decision highlights the ongoing tensions surrounding historical wartime atrocities and their commemoration in modern diplomatic contexts.
