Australia’s 1st Chinese comfort women statue languishes in garage out of public view

Australia’s first statue honoring Chinese women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II remains without a permanent home in Melbourne, where it has been mostly stored in a suburban garage since August of last year while advocates push for its installation in a public space.

Artistic meaning and vision: The 60-kilogram bronze figure, portraying a young southern Chinese woman in 1930s attire, was commissioned by the Chinese Australians for Peace Association. Rachel Liang, director of the association, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the statue is “a silent power that helps us to understand the pain of war, and also reminds us to cherish peace.” She said she hopes the work will be placed in a central Melbourne location to foster public recognition of its history.
Local disputes over placement: Advocates proposed installing the statue beside a Korean memorial outside the Korean Society of Victoria in Huntingdale. That memorial, erected in 2019, depicts a seated Korean girl in traditional dress beside an empty chair. The plan drew opposition from Korean Australian leaders who said the decision required wider consultation. Similar statues around the world have sparked disputes, including cases of defacement in Los Angeles, calls for removal in Berlin, political opposition in Philadelphia, backlash in Tokyo and even physical attacks such as being kicked in Taiwan.
Japan’s opposition: The term “comfort women” refers to the estimated 200,000 women and girls across Asia who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II, according to the United Nations. Japanese historian Yuki Tanaka of the Hiroshima Peace Institute said Japan has opposed comfort women memorials because it refuses to acknowledge wartime wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the Japanese consulate-general in Melbourne said the issue had been legally settled and that the government had no intention of denying or downplaying its historical reality.

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