New Zealand local council rejects installation of ‘comfort women’ statue
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
According to Auckland council documents, the local board for Devonport-Takapuna, where the garden is located, initially approved the request to install the statue in June 2025.
PHOTO: UNSPLASH
The local authorities in Auckland on April 28 denied permission for the erection of a statue symbolising women forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels in a garden in the New Zealand city.
The “Statue of Peace,” donated by a South Korean organisation, was planned to be installed in a Korean cultural garden on city-owned land. But the application was denied after a public consultation found that most respondents were opposed to the move.
The plan for the statue came as the issue of compensation for South Korean women who worked at Japanese military brothels, known as “comfort women”, has repeatedly soured relations between Tokyo and Seoul, even after they agreed to settle the matter “finally and irreversibly” in an accord in 2015.
Japan’s ambassador to New Zealand, Mr Makoto Osawa, was among those strongly opposed, expressing concern the statue could cause division in the community and have a “significant impact” on diplomatic relations between Japan and New Zealand.
According to Auckland council documents, the local board for Devonport-Takapuna, where the garden is located, initially approved the request to install the statue in June 2025.
However, after being made aware of the historical context and sensitivity associated with the statue, the board suspended the approval in September 2025 and undertook a public consultation in January. KYODO NEWS
