Society

Japan protests comfort woman statues on bus

Aug 16 (koreatimes.co.kr) - A high-level Japanese government official denounced a Korean bus company Tuesday for putting "comfort woman" statues on its five buses running in Seoul, urging the Korean government to take "appropriate measures."

"We are concerned this move could put a damper on efforts between Korea and Japan to develop a future-oriented relationship," Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide said at a press briefing, according to Kyodo News Agency.

"We have conveyed Japan's stance through a diplomatic channel to Korea, requesting adequate measures to be taken," Japan's national broadcaster NHK reported Suga as saying.

Suga is regarded as the Japanese government's spokesperson.

A day earlier, Suga also made comments on the comfort woman statues on a TV program on satellite channel BS Fuji. "This cannot happen," he said.

Dong-A Transit put a comfort woman statue on five of its number 151 buses, marking International Memorial Day for Comfort Women. The statues will remain on the buses until Sept. 30.

The statues on the bus are among many statues recently created, symbolizing the plight of former sex slaves to the Japanese military during World War II.

Criticism of the comfort woman statues also came from Park Yu-ha, a controversial scholar on the issue and author of the book "Comfort Women of the Empire."

Source: ANNnewsCH

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