A statue of a child wearing a protective suit near Fukushima Station has sparked criticism that it gives the impression that residents still need such gear following the 2011 nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 plant.
The 6.2-meter-high statue, called "Sun Child," was made by contemporary artist Kenji Yanobe to express his wish for a world free from nuclear disasters. The statue indicates the surrounding air is "clean" as the child is holding a helmet and a radiation counter on its chest reads "000".
Yanobe apologized on his website Friday for “unsettling” some people with his artwork, which was installed in the city of Fukushima on Aug. 3.