A bronze statue of the Kannon Bodhisattva, stolen from Kannonji Temple in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture in 2012 and taken to South Korea, has been returned after over 12 years. A memorial service was held on May 12 with local residents in attendance. The statue was later moved to Tsushima Museum, where it will be publicly displayed starting May 16 for one month. The city is considering a permanent exhibition this fall. The statue was retrieved after Korea’s Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that ownership belonged to the Japanese temple, dismissing claims by Korea’s Buseoksa Temple that it had been looted centuries ago. The statue was flown to Fukuoka and transported to Tsushima by ferry and police escort. Source: NHK
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