About 200,000 girls and young women were abducted by the Japanese military from at least 14 countries during the Asia-Pacific War (1931-1945), forced into sex slavery, and stigmatized as so-called "comfort women." It was not until 1991, after nearly half a century, that a survivor broke her silence about the war crimes she had suffered. Although the Japanese government officially admitted in 1993 that it had committed those crimes, the Japanese government has since actively  prevented any kind of reappraisal or coming to terms with the past and exerts pressure on all governments around the world to follow suit. No government, including that of Germany’s, wants to jeopardize good economic relations with Japan.
The AStA Kassel became aware of the Statue of Peace in Berlin's Mitte district in early 2022. The statue had been erected with official permission from the German authorities but was subsequently almost torn down due to diplomatic pressure from Japan. By erecting a new statue (on permanent loan from the Korea Association) on campus, AStA Kassel wanted to draw students' attention to the continuity of sexualized violence in times of war and peace and especially to the courage of the women who broke the taboo. After the installation, the university presidium was pressured by the Japanese government and right-wing forces from Japan. Despite ongoing negotiations between the Korea Association and the university administration of the University of Kassel, the latter removed 'Nujin' on the hypocritial grounds that the statue's display period had expired and the university senate had not voted to extend it.
Please sign for the re-erection and preservation of the 'Nujin' Statue of Peace and make the story known!
Thank you for your support, Korea-Verband e.V. from Berlin