August 6, 2019

The Japanese Communist Party Nagoya City Assembly members’ group on August 5 lodged a protest with the mayor who exercised his power to have the exhibition entitled “After ‘Freedom of Expression?’” in the Aichi Triennale removed.

Nagoya Mayor Kawamura Takashi on August 2 sent a letter regarding the “After ‘Freedom of Expression?’” exhibition to the Aichi governor who heads the Triennale organizing committee. Kawamura in the letter said that among works on exhibition, a statue of a girl symbolizing victims of the Japanese military’s wartime sex slavery denigrates Japanese, and demanded the closure of the exhibition.

In the protest, the JCP city assembly members said that the mayor’s act goes against the constitutional right to freedom of expression. In addition, they pointed out that the mayor’s attempt to remove particular art works from the exhibition is an act of censorship, which is banned under the Constitution. They said that Kawamura is unqualified to remain as mayor.

The JCP assemblypersons’ group requested the exhibition be reopened in order to raise public awareness of the need to protect the right to freedom of expression. They added that what the city government should do is to defend the right to freedom of expression from unjust violence and threats.

A city government official in reply said that he will convey the JCP request to the mayor.