Auckland rejects installation of war sexual victims “comfort women" statue

Local authorities in Auckland have denied permission for the installation of a “Statue of Peace” commemorating women forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels, following a public consultation that showed majority opposition to the project.

The statue, donated by a South Korean organisation, was intended to be placed in a Korean cultural garden on city-owned land in the Devonport-Takapuna area. However, the application was rejected after residents expressed concerns during the consultation process, The Straits Times reports. 

According to Auckland council documents, the local board initially approved the installation in June 2025. The decision was later suspended in September 2025 after officials were made aware of the historical sensitivities surrounding the monument. A public consultation was subsequently conducted in January, with most respondents opposing the proposal.

The “Statue of Peace” is widely associated with commemorations of so-called “comfort women”—a term used for women, many of them Korean, who were forced into Japanese military brothels during World War II. The issue has remained a longstanding point of diplomatic tension between South Korea and Japan, despite a 2015 agreement in which both sides said the matter was “finally and irreversibly” resolved.

Japan’s ambassador to New Zealand, Makoto Osawa, was among those who raised objections, warning that the statue could create community division and potentially have a “significant impact” on diplomatic relations between Japan and New Zealand.

By Sabina Mammadli