# Plans have been rejected to erect a statue in a public garden in Auckland, New Zealand, symbolising the so-called comfort women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japan during World War Two. The Japanese embassy had warned the installation of the bronze statue of a girl sitting next to an empty chair, could significantly impact the diplomatic relations between the two countries. More than 200-thousand women and girls, most of them Korean, were forced into prostitution to serve Japanese soldiers during the war.
New Zealand axes plan for WW2 sex slaves statue after Japan protests