‘Comfort woman’ statue removed in Philippines

MANILA, Jan 5, 2019, Korea Times. A memorial statue for “comfort women,” the victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, has been removed in the Philippines, reported The Korea Times.

According to UPI new agency, the bronze statue of a young woman with fists resting on her lap was removed from a Catholic-run shelter for the elderly and the homeless in San Pedro, Laguna, Sunday, only two days after the statue was unveiled to the public.

It is unclear who is responsible for the decision.

Nuns at Mary Mother of Mercy shelter said the statue was removed without explanation or notification.

The move came after the Japanese embassy in Manila complained.

“We believe that the establishment of a comfort woman statue in other countries, including this case, is extremely disappointing,” the embassy reportedly said.

This is not the first time a comfort woman statue had been removed. Last year, a statue on Roxas Boulevard in Manila faced the same fate.

Japan plays an important role in infrastructure investment in the Philippines.

Following the decision, Lila Pilipina, an advocacy group for former Filipina comfort women, condemned the Japanese government.

As many as 200,000 Filipinas, Koreans and many other Asian women were forced to work in Japan’s wartime military brothels.