(pls, consider signing and/or forwarding the petition below; it sheds an
important light on yet another case of culture under pressure... ab)
http://kotoba.japankunde.de/?page_id=6780
Declaration in Support of the Artists, Scholars, and Journalists of Japan
The undersigned express their deep concern about the current threats
against the freedom of expression in Japan and call upon the Japanese
government and all of its agencies to take the steps necessary to
safeguard the rights of artists, journalists, and scholars as embodied
in the Japanese constitution. In particular, we urge the Agency for
Cultural Affairs to retract its decision to withdraw support from the
2019 Aichi Triennale. It cannot be accepted that, in a democratic and
pluralistic society, politics and administration give in to populist
demands and even terrorist threats instead of defending arts and science
against the enemies of the freedom of expression. We are deeply
concerned that trust in Japanese official institutions has now been
shattered to a degree that endangers cooperations between foreign
artists, scholars and institutions with Japanese government institutions.
We also urge the Japanese government and the political leaders of Japan
to fulfill their legal obligations to fight hate speech and every other,
verbal or non-verbal threat against the spirit of international
cooperation, reconciliation and peace.
Finally, we urge the Japanese government and all responsible politicians
to give wholehearted and public support to all artists, scholars and
journalists of Japan in their pursuit of the freedom of expression and
opinion, to encourage the free and open discussion of political matters
with respect to peace and international understanding, and to restore
the reputation of Japan as a safe harbor of freedom, diversity and
creativity, which are the true sources of human growth and development.
Background
On September 26, Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, a subsidiary of
the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology,
published its decision to withdraw all financial support from this
year’s Aichi Triennale, one of the largest international art festivals
in Japan. The decision was made after the exhibition displayed at the
Triennale had to be closed down after only three days, on August 4,
2019, because violent threats including calls announcing acts of
terrorism had been made to the Triennale office alleging that, among
others, the display of a „comfort woman“ by a South Korean artist
violated the feelings of the Japanese people. The mayor of Nagoya city
demanded that public financial support be withdrawn from the Triennale.
The Agency had originally consented to support the Triennale with 78
million Yen (c. 724,000 USD).
The Agency now claims that the organizers of the Triennale,
„with regard to the exhibition, despite recognizing important facts that
threaten the safety of the exhibition hall, including visitors, and the
smooth operation of the business received notification of the decision
of eligibility [for support by the Agency] without declaring those
facts. Even after submitting a grant application form, they did not
declare these facts until they received an inquiry from the Agency for
Cultural Affairs at the subsequent screening stage.“ (Source).
The Minister of Education has since denied that the (highly rare)
decision to withdraw support was related to the contents of the
exhibition and thus could qualify as an act of censorship. (Source)
However, the Governor of Aichi has called this decision „a grave
violation of article 21 of the Japanese constitution“ which guarantees
the freedom of expression, and has announced to take court action. (Source)
Japanese artists and media have also been highly critical of the
Agency’s decision. The Asahi Shimbun commented that „internationally, it
may invite distrust and contempt for Japanese cultural administration.“
(Source) The Mainichi Shimbun demanded that „political power should not
be able to select exhibition contents and works through subsidy
decisions.“ (Source)
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