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NHK

Buddhist statue stolen from Japanese temple returned from South Korea

Residents of a southwestern Japanese island have welcomed back a Buddhist statue that was stolen from a local temple and found in South Korea. The statue arrived at Kannonji Temple on Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture on Monday for the first time since it was taken in 2012. The statue became the subject of a legal dispute after it was found at Busuksa Temple in central South Korea. The temple claimed ownership of the religious artifact, but the country's Supreme Court ruled that it belonged to Kannonji. The statue was handed over to Kannonji officials on Saturday after a service at Busuksa Temple. About 30 Kannonji members and regional government officials attended a closed-door service to mark the return of the statue. Priest Tanaka Setsuryo said he is relieved that the statue has come home and that it must find peace at last. Tsushima Museum, the statue's new home, will hold a special exhibition of the artifact from Thursday.