Tens of thousands of signatures have been collected in support for the re-erection of a statue symbolizing victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery at an international art exhibition in Japan.

A group of Japanese artists and activists working for the resumed display of the statue said that from August 3 to 14, they collected some 26-thousand signatures supporting their campaign.

The group plans to submit the collected signatures to Aichi Prefecture officials on Monday and hold a news conference to repeat their calls for the statue to be put back on display.

"Statue of a Girl of Peace" was withdrawn from the prefecture’s Aichi Triennale, an international art exhibition in central Japan, on August 3 after organizers received complaints and security threats.