[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

 

Ise, Mie Pref., Oct. 31 (Jiji Press)–The city government of Ise, Mie Prefecture, central Japan, has decided against displaying an artwork that features an image of a statue of a girl symbolizing so-called comfort women at an ongoing exhibition, it was learned Thursday.

The city board of education, which hosts the art exhibition, said it has prioritized the safety of visitors and citizens, following controversy over the Aichi Triennale 2019 art festival.

An exhibition held as part of the art festival in the central prefecture of Aichi was suspended two days after the opening on Aug. 1 as a statue of a girl symbolizing comfort women, shown at the event, drew a storm of protest.

Comfort women, mainly from the Korean Peninsula, were forced into prostitution for Japanese troops before and during World War II.

The artwork in question for the Ise art exhibition, which began on Tuesday, is a B2-sized poster created by Toshihiko Hanai, a 64-year-old graphic designer and steering committee member of the event.

 

From Nippon.com