against the backdrop of~
against the backdrop of~はご存じのように「〜を背景に」という意味です。backdrop自体がもともとは「幕」を表していました。比喩的に「事件などの背景」という意味でも使われます。（GP）
NYC ad pushes comfort women issue
NEW YORK — A billboard ad demanding an apology from Japan to Asian women forced into prostitution for Imperial army soldiers before and during the war has been put up in New York City's Times Square.
The Japanese Consulate General in New York has sent a letter of protest to the company behind the ad explaining the Japanese government's position on the so-called comfort women issue.
The more than 10-sq.-meter ad asks, "Do You Remember?" against the backdrop of a picture of former West German Chancellor Willy Brandt kneeling to offer a silent apology for the Holocaust during a visit to Warsaw in 1970.
"His action promoted reconciliation in Europe," the ad says. "In 2012, Korean women forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II are still waiting for a heartfelt apology from Japan."
