A monument commemorating the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery will be erected in the U.S. state of California.

The city of Glendale approved the construction of the monument at a park in front of the Glendale Public Library. It will be unveiled in June.

Glendale Mayor Frank Quintero, a former history professor, is apparently the driving force behind the project.

The monument is the first of its kind in the western U.S. Several cities in the region refused to build one for fear of dampening relations with Japan.