Taipei says Japanese activist kicking ‘comfort woman’ memorial was unacceptable
Taiwanese government also condemns four members of pro-unification party accused of throwing paint at Japan’s de facto embassy during protest
Taipei on Tuesday said a Japanese activist who kicked a “comfort woman” statue last week was uncivilised and his act – which has fuelled a row over Japan’s wartime aggression – was unacceptable.
The government of the self-ruled island also condemned four members of a pro-unification party accused of hurling paint at Japan’s de facto embassy in Taipei. The three men and one woman were arrested for allegedly damaging the building and injuring its office manager.
It came after Mitsuhiko Fujii, who was representing 16 right-wing groups from Japan, kicked the bronze memorial – an act caught on security camera – as he was leaving the opposition Kuomintang’s office in Tainan on Thursday, after he had asked for the statue to be removed.
“The behaviour of Fujii indicates that he is not civilised enough, and it is not acceptable,” Taiwanese foreign ministry spokesman Andrew Lee said.
“Any act of violence or provocation is not acceptable, regardless of whether the person is a local or a foreigner,” Lee said, adding that the act went against international norms of good behaviour.