Negotiating the (Im)Possibility of Contested Memory: The Traveling “Comfort Women” Memorial in Kyoto, Japan

Abstract

Since its first installation in December 2011 in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, the P’yŏnghwaŭi Sonyŏsang —widely known as the Statue of a Girl for Peace or “Comfort Women” Statue—has been replicated and installed around the world. These memorials have consistently faced intense opposition from the Japanese government. In Japan, the statue was displayed as part of the Non-Freedom of Expression Exhibition, alongside other works censored by Japanese authorities. This article focuses on the statue’s exhibition in Kyoto in August 2022, tracing its transnational journey and arguing that it has become a symbol of transcultural memory through local reinterpretation and cross-border activism.