Japan vs. New Zealand: Tensions Rise Over ‘Peace Girl Statue’ Symbolizing Comfort Women

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[Herald Economy — Reporter Jeong Kyung-soo] Plans to install a Statue of Peace in Auckland, New Zealand — a monument symbolizing victims of the Japanese military’s wartime sexual slavery — have raised diplomatic tensions. The Japanese government has officially registered its opposition, saying the statue could affect not only Japan–South Korea relations but also Japan’s relationship with New Zealand.

The Guardian reported on the 10th that the Japanese Embassy in New Zealand recently submitted a letter to the Auckland City Council opposing the installation.

In the letter, Ambassador Makoto Osawa argued the statue would draw “unnecessary attention” and could place a burden on ties between Japan and South Korea, and potentially between Japan and New Zealand.

He also noted that the New Zealand government provided infrastructure support for the Korean cultural garden proposed as the statue’s site, warning that placing the monument there could create the impression that the government had effectively approved the installation.

Japanese officials further warned the move could inflame tensions. A spokesperson at the Japanese embassy said the statue could provoke conflict between Japanese and Koreans and that, if installed, some Japanese cities might reconsider their sister-city relationships with New Zealand municipalities.

The statue under consideration was donated by the South Korean civic group Justice and Memory, and authorities are considering placing it in the Korean cultural garden within Auckland’s Barrys Point Reserve.

The Auckland City Council will make the final decision. The council plans to vote on the installation at a meeting on the 28th of this month.

The council received 672 submissions; about half of the individual responses opposed the plan. However, a significant portion of submissions came from both Japanese and Korean respondents, reflecting competing interests.

The local group pushing for the statue says the monument is meant to raise awareness of wartime sexual violence and to preserve historical memory.