Visitors are seen at an exhibition displaying a statue symbolizing Japan’s sexual enslavement of women from Korea and elsewhere in Asia, in the Japanese city of Nagoya on July 6, 2021. (Yonhap)
TOKYO, July 8 (Korea Bizwire) – An exhibition showcasing a statue symbolizing Japan’s sexual enslavement of women from Korea and elsewhere in Asia was disrupted Thursday after explosives that were suspected to be fireworks were delivered to the venue.
The exhibition, taking place at a gallery in the Japanese city of Nagoya, kicked off Tuesday for a five-day run.
The suspicious explosives that were delivered by post went off when a gallery official tried to open it, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo News. No casualty was reported.
“(Officials) from the venue and the police requested people to temporarily leave the building,” said a member of an organization behind the exhibition.
“We were set to receive visitors from 10 a.m. but they weren’t able to see the exhibition (due to the request).”
The official said that organizers have not yet received details on the incident.
A statue symbolizing Japan’s sexual enslavement of women from Korea and elsewhere in Asia is on display at a gallery in the Japanese city of Nagoya on July 6, 2021. (Yonhap)
While the details of the incident remain unknown at the moment, there is the possibility that right-wing protesters may have sent the suspicious material.
Some protesters had held a protest in front of the exhibition venue on the opening day, demanding the exhibition be called off.
It is not the first time that exhibitions featuring the symbolic statue have been called off due to security concerns.
A 2019 exhibition, which also took place in Nagoya, was halted within three days of its opening after those who were against it threatened to visit the venue with gasoline.
The exhibition re-opened two months later after civic groups and artists condemned the move and took legal measures, but the exhibition period was shortened to only 10 days.
According to historians, up to 200,000 women, mostly Koreans, were coerced into sexual servitude at front-line Japanese brothels during the war when the Korean Peninsula was a Japanese colony.
(Yonhap)
