TOKYO, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- An art exhibition featuring a statue symbolizing "comfort women" reopened in central Japan on Tuesday, with visitor numbers restricted and tighter security measures put in place after the exhibition was previously closed following threats.
The exhibition in Nagoya, part of the Aichi Triennale 2019 art festival in the prefecture, will open its doors for a week through next Monday and showcase 23 pieces of art, although it has had a hefty amount of funding and subsidies pulled.
The works on display include the statue representing "comfort women," a euphemism used for the hundreds of thousands of girls and women who were coerced and kidnapped and forced to work as sex slaves, servicing Japanese soldiers at military brothels during the war.
The women forced into sexual slavery at the time came from China, the Korean Peninsula, as well as other parts of Asia, including the Philippines and other countries.
The organizers have introduced stricter guidelines for those attending the exhibition, including baggage inspections using metal detectors.
The stricter system came after the exhibition was suddenly closed just three days after opening on Aug. 1 following threats, many of which were made by telephone.
Adding to the controversy, Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura said he would protest the event being reopened by staging a sit-in on Tuesday afternoon, having previously demanded the exhibition be shut down.
