[Position Statement] We strongly condemn the comments of the mayor of Berlin, Germany, on removing the Statue of Peace!
The Japanese Government must immediately cease its insolent and vicious sabotage and attempted removal of the Statue of Peace!
The city of Berlin should permanently maintain the Statue of Peace, a symbol of women's human rights that calls attention to wartime sexual violence!
Shocking news has come from Germany.
On May 16 (local time), the city of Berlin announced in a press release that Mayor Kai Wegner, who was visiting Tokyo, Japan, had "proposed a solution to the controversial issue of the Berlin Statue of Peace" during a meeting with the Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, suggesting that the statue be removed. Even more surprisingly, Mayor Wegner stated that he was "in favour of monuments that speak out against violence against women, but that they should not be one-sided" and that he was "in dialogue with all relevant representatives, including the district and the federal government, and will also involve the Japanese ambassador to Germany in this discussion." In what capacity are the Federal Government and the Japanese ambassador to Germany involved in a "discussion" about removing the Statue of Peace erected by German citizens? Doesn't this mean that the pressure from the Japanese Government to remove the monument is so intense that even the German Federal Government is involved? More fundamentally, what is being contested, and by whom?
We know this relates to the Japanese Government's relentless campaign to disrupt and remove the Statue of Peace. Japan's hysterical reaction to the Peace Statue was already evident in the "2015 "comfort women" Agreement", which was suddenly announced on December 28, 2015. As part of the agreement, the Japanese Government demanded the removal of the Peace Statue in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. At the same time, through shadow negotiations, the Japanese Government expressed concern about the Statues of Peace in a "third country" and urged the South Korean Government to persuade civil society organizations to remove them. Since then, the Japanese Government and local governments have made concerted efforts to remove the San Francisco Statue of Peace and the Glendale Statue of Peace in the United States, and in April 2022, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida personally requested the removal of the Statue of Peace from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during his visit to Japan. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, a movement to build a Statue of Peace was met with pressure from the IMF, suspension of economic cooperation, and obstruction of UNESCO recognition, and it finally fell through due to the will of the Japanese Government. In March 2023, a Statue of Peace at Kassel University in Germany, which was built by their student union, was removed in a surprise.
Let's be clear. The Statue of Peace is a universal symbol of women's human rights that calls attention to wartime sexual violence that still occurs in many parts of the world. It is a voluntary action for peace and a pledge by citizens worldwide not to repeat history. Nevertheless, the Japanese Government's overreaction to the Statue of Peace exposes its efforts to deny its responsibility and avoid the truth of history.
We are warning the Japanese Government. Immediately cease the unconscionable and vicious attempts to disrupt and remove the Statue of Peace. Removing a single statue will not erase the war crimes against humanity the Japanese Government has committed. By denying even its legally confirmed responsibility, the Japanese Government seeks to go down as the "villain" of world history by undermining the citizens' effort to remember the past and build a better future. Does the Japanese Government not realize that historical truths cannot be erased, no matter how hard it tries?
We strongly demand the mayor of Berlin. Berlin should recognize the historical significance of the statue and its future implication for peace and take the lead in permanently installing the statue. Suppose the city caves into pressure from the Japanese Government and removes the statue. In that case, it will not only dilute the efforts made by Germany, the perpetrator of World War II, to acknowledge its wrongdoings and fulfil its responsibility to compensate the victims, but it will also disregard the history of sexual violence suffered by countless German women in the immediate aftermath of the war. Most importantly, if the German Government were to tear down the Statue of Peace based on the view of the Japanese Government, it would be a tremendous blot on the history of German democracy since the Statue of Peace was voluntarily erected by German citizens.
We strongly condemn the attempted removal of the statue and pledge to defend it to the end in solidarity with people worldwide working for peace and human rights.
May 20, 2024
The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan and Civil Solidarity for Historical Justice and Peaceful Relationship between Korea and Japan
[Position Statement] We strongly condemn the comments of the mayor of Berlin, Germany, on removing the Statue of Peace!
The Japanese Government must immediately cease its insolent and vicious sabotage and attempted removal of the Statue of Peace!
The city of Berlin should permanently maintain the Statue of Peace, a symbol of women's human rights that calls attention to wartime sexual violence!
Shocking news has come from Germany.
On May 16 (local time), the city of Berlin announced in a press release that Mayor Kai Wegner, who was visiting Tokyo, Japan, had "proposed a solution to the controversial issue of the Berlin Statue of Peace" during a meeting with the Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, suggesting that the statue be removed. Even more surprisingly, Mayor Wegner stated that he was "in favour of monuments that speak out against violence against women, but that they should not be one-sided" and that he was "in dialogue with all relevant representatives, including the district and the federal government, and will also involve the Japanese ambassador to Germany in this discussion." In what capacity are the Federal Government and the Japanese ambassador to Germany involved in a "discussion" about removing the Statue of Peace erected by German citizens? Doesn't this mean that the pressure from the Japanese Government to remove the monument is so intense that even the German Federal Government is involved? More fundamentally, what is being contested, and by whom?
We know this relates to the Japanese Government's relentless campaign to disrupt and remove the Statue of Peace. Japan's hysterical reaction to the Peace Statue was already evident in the "2015 "comfort women" Agreement", which was suddenly announced on December 28, 2015. As part of the agreement, the Japanese Government demanded the removal of the Peace Statue in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. At the same time, through shadow negotiations, the Japanese Government expressed concern about the Statues of Peace in a "third country" and urged the South Korean Government to persuade civil society organizations to remove them. Since then, the Japanese Government and local governments have made concerted efforts to remove the San Francisco Statue of Peace and the Glendale Statue of Peace in the United States, and in April 2022, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida personally requested the removal of the Statue of Peace from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during his visit to Japan. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, a movement to build a Statue of Peace was met with pressure from the IMF, suspension of economic cooperation, and obstruction of UNESCO recognition, and it finally fell through due to the will of the Japanese Government. In March 2023, a Statue of Peace at Kassel University in Germany, which was built by their student union, was removed in a surprise.
Let's be clear. The Statue of Peace is a universal symbol of women's human rights that calls attention to wartime sexual violence that still occurs in many parts of the world. It is a voluntary action for peace and a pledge by citizens worldwide not to repeat history. Nevertheless, the Japanese Government's overreaction to the Statue of Peace exposes its efforts to deny its responsibility and avoid the truth of history.
We are warning the Japanese Government. Immediately cease the unconscionable and vicious attempts to disrupt and remove the Statue of Peace. Removing a single statue will not erase the war crimes against humanity the Japanese Government has committed. By denying even its legally confirmed responsibility, the Japanese Government seeks to go down as the "villain" of world history by undermining the citizens' effort to remember the past and build a better future. Does the Japanese Government not realize that historical truths cannot be erased, no matter how hard it tries?
We strongly demand the mayor of Berlin. Berlin should recognize the historical significance of the statue and its future implication for peace and take the lead in permanently installing the statue. Suppose the city caves into pressure from the Japanese Government and removes the statue. In that case, it will not only dilute the efforts made by Germany, the perpetrator of World War II, to acknowledge its wrongdoings and fulfil its responsibility to compensate the victims, but it will also disregard the history of sexual violence suffered by countless German women in the immediate aftermath of the war. Most importantly, if the German Government were to tear down the Statue of Peace based on the view of the Japanese Government, it would be a tremendous blot on the history of German democracy since the Statue of Peace was voluntarily erected by German citizens.
We strongly condemn the attempted removal of the statue and pledge to defend it to the end in solidarity with people worldwide working for peace and human rights.
May 20, 2024
The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan and Civil Solidarity for Historical Justice and Peaceful Relationship between Korea and Japan