DAEJEON, South Korea –

The head monk of a Buddhist temple in southwestern Japan appeared as a witness in a South Korean court hearing Wednesday and called for the return of a Buddha statue stolen by South Korean thieves in 2012 but which is also claimed by a temple in the country.

Setsuryo Tanaka, head monk of Kannonji temple in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, speaks to reporters after appearing at Daejeon High Court in Daejeon, South Korea, on Wednesday. | KYODO
Setsuryo Tanaka, head monk of Kannonji temple in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, speaks to reporters after appearing at Daejeon High Court in Daejeon, South Korea, on Wednesday. | KYODO

Setsuryo Tanaka from Kannonji temple in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, where the disputed bronze statue is designated as a cultural asset, is the first Japanese witness to appear in the appeals case filed by the South Korean government in 2017.