Mayor James Rotundo of Palisades Park, NJ
Council member Hideki Ikejiri from Sakai City, Japan
On July 2nd, 2014, Mayor James Rotundo of Palisades Park, New Jersey, was visited by a council member from Japan. Hideki Ikejiri, a council member from Sakai City in Japan, sought to request for the removal of the “Comfort Women” in Palisades Park. Ikejiri was part of the group of Japanese council members who went to Glendale, California in January to protest the erection of the “Comfort Women” memorial there. He has already sent a letter to Mayor Rotundo asking for the removal of the memorial in June. At today’s meeting, council member Ikejiri presented another letter to Rotundo.
Sakai council member Hideki Ikejiri visits the “Comfort Women” memorial in Palisades Park
Council member Ikejiri presents his ltter to Mayor Rotundo
The following is the full text of the letter:
Good (morning/afternoon/evening)
I am Hideki Ikejiri, a council member from Sakai City in Japan.
I have come here from Japan seeking the removal of the comfort women monument erected by the (Korean organization).
I was part of the group of local councillors from all over Japan that went to Glendale, California in January to protest the erection of the comfort woman statue there.
We firmly believe that this issue is solely the business of Korea and Japan and that its spreading to third countries, such as America, through lobbying, will serve only to harm the interests of both nations.
At present, discrimination (bullying) faced by people of Japanese origins living in America from people of Korean descent is becoming a serious problem.
The monument’s inscription states that girls and women were forced into sexual slavery; a falsehood with no evidence.
We believe that lobbying activity such as the building of monuments to things that happened 70 years ago is not beneficial for the children of today.
We hope that American regional governments will remove the comfort women statues so that all children may live in a world of peace, free from discrimination. In this, we humbly request your cooperation.
Thank you very much for your time.
Copy of the letter requesting a meeting with Mayor Rotundo