Should Philadelphia erect a statue honoring ‘comfort women’? | Pro/Con

On Monday, a public hearing will give people the chance to weigh in on a proposal to erect a statue honoring women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Army during World War II, known as “comfort women.” The statue, set to appear in the Queen Village section of the city, would depict a comfort woman sitting on a chair, with a bird on her shoulder; proponents of the statue dub it The Statue of Peace.

Similar statues in other cities have been the site of demonstrations, as some people believe Japan has not adequately atoned for its past. For this, and other reasons, some neighbors and residents from other corners of Philadelphia have raised concerns about the statue.

We asked two people on either side of the issue to weigh in: Should Philadelphia erect a statue honoring “comfort women?”

By Shinjoo Cho

Created by sculptors Seo-kyung Kim and Eun-sung Kim in 2011, The Statue of Peace is a bronze sculpture of a young girl sitting down with an empty chair next to her, inviting the viewers to join her and remember the hundreds of thousands of women and girls from Asia who were forced into sexual slavery during World War II by the Imperial Army of Japan.

Replicas of the statue have been placed in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Taiwan, and the United States. The point of the statue is to focus on the victims who wish to be remembered, so that such horrific crimes against humanity do not recur.

Every war creates rape victims, and yet rape is not denounced or treated as seriously as other war crimes such as torture and murder. It’s a difficult topic, of course, but one that won’t be solved by keeping silent. In fact, this type of violence and subjugation thrives on people’s discomfort in speaking up.

So what do you do with such history that haunts the cultural DNA of so many countries and does not allow us to develop good relations as neighbors, genders, and countries? We want to use a work of art to help people connect and create a safe place to remember. Together.

» READ MORE: Fight over ‘comfort women’ statue pits two communities against each other

Despite the subject matter, this sculpture is inviting and disarming, which makes its painful history approachable for all ages. We have been engaging the Queen Village community about the project since 2017, and have received consistently positive feedback. Last year, the Philadelphia Art Commission approved of the concept of the statue in a unanimous vote, 6-0.

One of the arguments we heard against the project is that it could be divisive, by calling attention to the past abuses of one nation. The purpose of the statue is to acknowledge the xenophobia and “otherness” inherent in every community, so that our and future generations won’t be shaped by the same ills. We hope to chip away at the root of the division that already exists and is keeping us reluctant to engage with each other in a sincere manner.

According to the Department of Justice, there has been no detectable increase in hate incidents against Asian people after the erection of similar statues in cities in California and Virginia. We are in touch with a global network of Statue of Peace sites, and there have been zero incidents of violence or threats against the Japanese diaspora related to the statue since its creation in 2011. The focus of the statue is on the victims, not Japan.

We are hoping this statue helps create a path to healing and unity.

Some people say we should stay impartial. Americans weren’t involved in the sexual slavery depicted in the statue, so why create a monument here?

Just a short walk from the proposed site is a Memorial District that includes the Korean and Vietnam War Veteran Memorials. The American participation in the global armed conflicts is preserved and the images of male soldiers are revered. Why are the people for whom these wars were waged not deserving of being remembered? What’s more, these wars caused new alliances and geopolitical shifts, with the U.S. at its center. The victims of Japan’s actions during the colonization of Asia are still fighting for Japan to accept legal responsibility for its actions, and the U.S. is no longer an impartial player.

Our city was built on the pursuit of liberty, with thousands of monuments and historical designations that reflect what it takes to attain justice and peace. Philadelphia is the U.S.’s sixth largest city, and 8% of its population is Asian, but the presence of Asian American Pacific Islander history and stories are sorely underrepresented in the city’s public art landscape.

We are putting our faith in the community, and hoping this statue helps create a path to healing and unity. We believe in the resilience of people and their capacity to forgive; let that forgiveness be the strength they need to confront injustices around them.

Shinjoo Cho is chair of Philadelphia Peace Plaza Committee.

By Edward S. Mazurek

The issue of “Comfort Women” victims during World War II has divided Korea and Japan for decades. Multiple Japanese prime ministers have apologized for the terrible acts of the Japanese Imperial Army in Asia more than 80 years ago. Japan has paid millions of dollars to compensate surviving comfort women. And yet, that has not been enough.

The so-called Statue of Peace claims to commemorate comfort women. But what this statue actually symbolizes is far from “peace.” Instead, it stokes anti-Japan sentiment, and hatred and contempt toward Japan, Japanese people, and Japanese Americans.

Comfort women have nothing to do with Philadelphia.

It is astounding that Philadelphia’s Art Commission is considering the proposed statue, since it violates the city’s own regulations and has been met with broad and diverse opposition from residents of Queen Village and beyond.

The first comfort woman statue was installed in 2011 in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, the site of more than 1,500 demonstrations on behalf of comfort women since the 1990s. In recent years, Korean protesters have burned the Japanese flag and cut off the head of an effigy of the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The comfort women demonstrations have been brought to our shores in places like California, New York, and Washington, D.C.

Now, a group wants to import this political dispute to Queen Village.

According to the city’s Directive 67, proposals for public art will only be considered for people or “events that are evidenced to have made significant contributions to Philadelphia, have had significant impact on Philadelphia and beyond, and represent broadly shared community values.” Comfort women have nothing to do with Philadelphia.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia sets date for key hearing on controversial ‘comfort women’ statue

Historical monuments are important to remind us of the past. As the American Jewish Committee pointed out in a letter to the Art Commission opposing the comfort women statue, “we are fully aware of the significance of appropriate memorialization. But that is not this statue.” The American Jewish Committee emphasized its concern that the comfort women proposal will, in fact, provoke disharmony between communities and add another unnecessary layer of tension between the Japanese and South Korean governments. Rabbi Yochonon Goldman of the B’nai Abraham Chabad in Queen Village also sent a similar letter opposing the statue.

According to the organization “Stop AAPI Hate,” nearly 11,500 hate incidents against Asian American Pacific Islander communities have been reported between March 19, 2020 and March 31, 2022. Just this past summer, the Japanese Shofuso House in Fairmount Park was vandalized. We don’t need anything to incite further anti-Asian and anti-Japanese harassment and hostility in this city.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8051 is just steps from the proposed Korean Plaza, and has recently circulated a petition signed by dozens of people who live or work in the Queen Village area opposing the statue for multiple reasons, including: disrespecting our veterans; reserving limited public land in Queen Village for honoring Queen Village people and events, and not memorializing things that have nothing to do with Queen Village; the potential for disruption, noise, and traffic from concerts, group visits, and protests at the statue; singling out people of one nationality for criticism and embarrassment for something with which they had nothing to do.

Whether someone agrees with the opposition or not, the fact is that substantial opposition does exist. And that opposition cannot and should not be ignored or trivialized. Clearly, the statue and its placement in Queen Village does not represent broadly shared values and does not enhance the public realm.

If the Peace Plaza wants to commemorate the victims of sexual abuse, there should be a universally acceptable sculpture which represents Philadelphia’s denouncement of mistreatment of women in all countries and cultures. There is no reason why it has to vilify Japanese people. The proposed comfort women statue has no place in Philadelphia.

Edward S. Mazurek is a civil rights lawyer based in Queen Village. He has been retained to represent the Japanese Association of Greater Philadelphia.