The German city of Freiburg has decided not to proceed with a plan to erect a statue of a girl symbolizing so-called "comfort women" who were procured for Japan's wartime military brothels, after encountering strong opposition from its Japanese sister-city Matsuyama, a city spokesperson said.
Freiburg had accepted a proposal from its South Korean sister-city Suwon for the statue, a replica of one erected in December 2011 in front of the Japanese Embassy in central Seoul, to be sent there as a gift and erected in a downtown park.
The spokesperson said the decision to drop the plan has been conveyed to Suwon, adding that the city never had any intention of hurting the feelings of the Japanese people.