Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2015 December 23 - 2016 January 5 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Nikon loses suit over ‘comfort women’ photo exhibition

In a lawsuit filed by a photographer to demand compensation for a unilateral cancellation by a gallery of his exhibition on “comfort women”, the Tokyo District Court on December 25 ordered the gallery operator, Nikon, to pay 1.1 million yen.

The plaintiff, South Korean photographer Ahn Sehong once signed a contract with Nikon for the use of its gallery to hold a photo exhibition about Japan’s wartime military sex slave system, or the so-called “comfort woman” system. Nikon, however, unilaterally canceled the contract, saying that it had received threatening letters demanding calling-off of the exhibit and that it wanted to prevent Ahn from being harmed. The photographer took the case to court to seek for damages for the cancellation.

The court ruling points out that it is illegal for Nikon to cancel the contract it had once singed without reasonable grounds. It also states that the company’s argument about possible danger to Ahn is unrealistic and that Nikon should have carried out the contract as a way to guarantee a stage for artistic expression.

After the ruling, Ahn said to the press that he is glad to win the court decision that will help protect places that host controversial events. He stressed the need to maintain venues for exhibitions that touch on various social issues, such as war and nuclear power generation.

The plaintiff’s lawyer said that it is an epoch-making ruling because it requires a private company-owned gallery to offer and secure an area to freely express artistic expression. He argued that this is a progressive move in the direction of refraining from disengaging from controversial issues.

Past related article:
> Court orders Nikon to not cancel photo show of sex slave victims [June 23, 2012]