The Japanese government has successfully held up the dedication of a memorial plaque in Hackensack, New Jersey to commemorate the 200,000 mostly Korean and Chinese women held as sex slaves by the Japanese military during World War II, reports AP
The town of Palisades Park, New Jersey just outside New York resisted pressure from the Japanese government to remove a similar plaque two years ago and sparked an international uproar.
This time Hackensack officials say the hold up is over the wording of the plaque. Japanese officials want any reference to the Japanese government removed from the plaque.
“Our monument is not anti-Japanese government; it is pro-comfort women,” said Kahtleen Donovan, the county executive. “We want to be very clear that it was the Imperial Japanese armed forces and not the government that, according to our historical research, committed these acts.”
Plans are also under way to build other memorials in San Francisco, Georgia, Illinois and Massachusetts..
