Japanese officials have removed a statue that represents the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery.
According to the Aichi Triennale International contemporary art festival, Japan's top chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga( ), and the governor of Aichi Prefecture, Hideaki Omura( ) told the festival organizers that the statue must be removed.
The festival added that its decision to remove the statue was also based on “terror threats” by telephone and email.
Japan's local newspapers including Asahi Shimbun and Tokyo Shimbun also strongly criticized the statue's removal, saying such threats are not acceptable or forgiveable.
The Korean artist who made the statue, Kim Un-seong , condemned the Japanese politicans for attacking freedom of expression.
Japan has ordered the removal of a comfort woman statue before, in 2012, when it called the placement of the statue a political act.