A controversial art exhibition featuring works such as a statue symbolizing the "comfort women" who were forced or coerced into Japan's wartime brothel system will be held in Tokyo next month, its organizers have said, after being postponed for about a year due to protests.
The "Non-Freedom of Expression Exhibition" will run from April 2 to 5 in the suburban city of Kunitachi, showcasing works that have been banned or removed from public art museums due to their controversial nature, the organizers said Friday.
“Comfort women” is a euphemism for those who suffered under Japan’s military brothel system before and during World War II. They were forced or coerced into sexual servitude under various circumstances, including abduction, deception and poverty.
"We just want to offer an opportunity to appreciate art in peace," Sadaaki Iwasaki, a co-representative of the organizers, told a news conference, asking people opposing the event not to cause any trouble to residents around the venue.
The exhibition sparked controversy in 2019 in Nagoya. It was initially scheduled to be held in Shinjuku, in central Tokyo, from June to July last year but was postponed after protesters gathered in vehicles near the original venue and denounced the exhibition as "anti-Japan" through loudspeakers.
It was held in Osaka in July under tight security amid repeated threats and protests.