A sign announcing the closure of Gunma no Mori, a prefectural park with a memorial monument for Korean workers, in Takasaki City.
On the 23rd, the civic group that manages the memorial monument for Korean workers in Gunma no Mori, a prefectural park in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture, announced that it had received a notice from the prefecture that the monument would be removed by administrative agency. The removal period is from February 29th to February 11th, and the prefecture is expected to close the park.
The order was dated the 19th and was delivered to the civic group on the 22nd. The estimated cost of execution on behalf of the organization is approximately 30 million yen, which will be collected from the organization. The group will request that the removed monument be picked up at a later date.
The civic group is the Association to Preserve the Memorial Monument for “Memory, Reflection, and Friendship.” On the 23rd, he submitted a statement to the governor, arguing, “This is an important issue that concerns not only the prefecture, but all of Japan.It is an act that promotes historical revisionism and encourages hate speech.”
At a press conference at the prefectural office, co-representative Masaaki Kawaguchi said, “It’s too late to remove it. I’d like you to stay calm and have a calm discussion.” He called for a reversal of the proxy execution policy. Another member said, “I think this is an issue that calls into question the common sense of Gunma Prefecture citizens regarding their attitude toward learning and passing on history.”
The memorial monument was completed in 2004. In 2014, the prefectural government refused to renew the permit for the facility, saying that the statement about “forcible recruitment” made during the 2012 ceremony was in violation of the condition at the time of the facility’s establishment, “not holding political events.” The group filed a lawsuit, and the Supreme Court’s decision to deny the prefecture’s permission was finalized in June 2022. (Kazutaka Hamono)
2024-01-23 22:47:16
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