Japanese officials have removed a statue that represents the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery.<br />According to the Aichi Triennale International contemporary art festival, Japan's top chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga( ), and the governor of Aichi Prefecture, Hideaki Omura( ) told the festival organizers that the statue must be removed.<br />The festival added that its decision to remove the statue was also based on “terror threats” by telephone and email.<br />Japan's local newspapers including Asahi Shimbun and Tokyo Shimbun also strongly criticized the statue's removal, saying such threats are not acceptable or forgiveable.<br />The Korean artist who made the statue, Kim Un-seong , condemned the Japanese politicans for attacking freedom of expression.<br />Japan has ordered the removal of a comfort woman statue before, in 2012, when it called the placement of the statue a political act. <br />
