FUKUSHIMA CHILD STATUE SPARKS IRE
Netizens slam art installation of child wearing hazmat-style suit
AGIANT statue of a child wearing a radiation suit in the Japanese city of Fukushima has touched off a storm of criticism online as the nuclear-hit area seeks to rebuild its reputation.
“Sun Child”, a 6.2m-tall figure sporting a yellow protective suit with a digital display on its chest showing “000” — symbolising no nuclear contamination — was installed this month near the city’s train station.
The figure holds a helmet in one hand, showing the air is safe to breathe, and a symbol of the sun in the other, representing hope and new energy.
Its creator, Japanese artist Kenji Yanobe, intended the statue to be a symbol of hope but critics said it was insensitive to the plight of Fukushima as it continues to struggle with radioactive contamination from the 2011 meltdown.
“I saw Yanobe’s ‘Sun Child’. It was truly creepy. I think it derides us and all the work Fukushima has done to erase reputational harm,” said one Twitter user.
Another online critic wrote: “I understand it was intended to express hope as the helmet is removed but considering that Fukushima’s awful reputation continues, I believe the installation should have been cancelled.”
Yanobe published a three-page dossier to apologise for triggering the uproar but stressed his work was meant to show hope, not ridicule Fukushima.
City mayor Hiroshi Kohata said in a statement that he accepted the criticism and would consider what action to take but stood by the work’s value.