More Than Just a Statue: The Hidden Ancestry Japan Refuses to Acknowledge.

A local council in Auckland, New Zealand recently declined a proposal to install a "peace statue" honoring "comfort women". During WWII, over 200,000 women from Korea, China and Southeast Asia were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military. While many community members saw the statue as a way to honor survivors and reflect on a painful past, the decision was ultimately swayed by diplomatic pressure and fears of local division. Japanese officials argued the monument could strain international relations and cause friction within New Zealand's Japanese and Korean communities. The same has happened in San Francisco, where Osaka ended its 60 year sister relationship due to similar statues, as well as Berlin. It’s a reminder of how difficult it can be to balance the need for historical healing with the complexities of modern day politics, leaving the stories of these survivors still searching for a place to be told.

A statue of 'comfort women' erected in Berlin, Germany.

The Japanese government’s lack of accountability for their war crimes can be attributed to how they choose portray their history. The Imperial Household Agency, or the Kunai-cho, who are in charge of state matters concerning the imperial family, have maintained a tight chain over the history of Japan. To this day, the Kunai-cho have purposefully barred off tombs containing ancient leaders to hide their ancestry. One of them includes the Hashihaka Kofun, which people theorize could house the legendary Himiko, the first ruler of Japan. The tomb goes unexcavated and protected by the Kunai-cho, for their own selfish whims. Their main goal is to hide the remains of Himiko or other rulers that may lay there because they can be traced back to a Korean past. In actuality, Japanese people are descendants of the native population in the region and the Koreans who immigrated to the land. However, Japan refuses to acknowledge this lineage in order to retain the image of a pure and homogenous society.

A birds eye view of the Hashihaka Kofun in Nara, Japan.

This past explains why Japan is so hesitant to recognize their victims and the suffering they caused. They themselves are ashamed to admit they are Korean, which ruins their concept of superiority over other races. By dehumanizing the survivors to mere Koreans, they can justify their sordid actions. However, that same line blurs if people realize both countries have shared blood and a shared history. Instead of hiding in shame, Japan should leverage their shared history to build strong relations, rather than trample on them. In the future, I hope that these women will get to see statues erected of them, so they can find peace and so people can truly understand every aspect of Japan, not just the hyper commercialized version they see today.