Japanese

We call on the prefectural administration in Gunma (Japan) to revoke its order to remove the memorial stone that has commemorated Korean workers during World War II in the Forest of Gunma since 2004 with the inscription "Remembrance, Reflection and Friendship". The prefecture plans to start dismantling it on January 29, 2024.
Public remembrance cannot be decreed from above; it is a process in which all parts of society must be involved. We therefore call on the prefecture to immediately enter into a public discourse with representatives of civil society including the Korean minority in Japan, professional historians and politicians of all parties until a consensus is reached on the importance and necessity of remembrance and reconciliation.
The removal of this memorial without such a consensus will be seen by the world public as a denial of Japan's historical responsibility and a willful damage to Japanese-Korean relations. The still unfinished process of Japanese-Korean reconciliation will be severely damaged.
We also protest against the prefectural government's intention to charge the costs of removing the memorial stone to the Association for the Preservation of this Memorial.

Update (2.2.2024)

Despite ongoing public protests, the monument has now been dismantled. It is therefore no longer possible to stop the dismantling. However, the collection of signatures will continue for a few more days to protest against the dismantling and to uphold the demand that the costs of the dismantling should not be borne by the association for the preservation of the monument.