The local authorities have announced that they will ask a Korean civic group to remove a statue of a young girl symbolizing the comfort women issue that was installed four years ago on public property in the German capital, Berlin, in late September this year.
In the Mitte district in the center of the German capital Berlin, a Korean civic group installed a statue of a young girl symbolizing the comfort women issue on public land in a residential area four years ago in September 2020, and the Japanese Embassy in Berlin demanded its removal.
In response to NHK’s interview on September 11, the Mitte Ward announced that it would ask the citizens’ group to remove the statue after September 28 this year.
According to the district’s explanation, the installation of the statue was for a limited period, and the district approved an extension of the installation period at the request of the council, but later discovered that there were legal problems with the extension and decided to ask for the removal of the statue.
The mayor of Berlin, Mr. Wegner, had met with Foreign Minister Uekawa during his visit to Japan in May of this year, and had indicated that he would try to resolve the issue.
The citizens’ group, on the other hand, has been collecting signatures to ensure that the statue can remain in place in the future.
NHK
