Key facts
- Russia will not consider Japan's request to dismantle a new World War Two memorial in Khabarovsk.
- The memorial commemorates the Soviet Union's victory over Japan in 1945.
- Japan's foreign ministry described the statue, which depicts a Soviet soldier destroying a boundary post with a chrysanthemum image, as unacceptable.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Russia has not forgotten Japanese militarism and its victory.
The Kremlin announced on Tuesday that Russia will not entertain Japan's request to dismantle a recently erected World War Two memorial in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk. Japan's foreign ministry had previously stated it "strongly requested" the removal of the statue, which commemorates the Soviet Union's victory over Japan in 1945. The bronze statue depicts a Soviet soldier destroying a boundary post adorned with a chrysanthemum, an emblem widely recognized as symbolizing Japan. Japan's ministry expressed that the installation of such a monument is "unacceptable and extremely regrettable in terms of Japanese national sentiment."
In response to Japan's request, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Tokyo of having a selective memory. He stated, "It is hard to say what has been forgotten and what is still remembered in Tokyo, but at the very least, we have not forgotten Japanese militarism; we have not forgotten that victory." Peskov concluded that Russia "can hardly take such demands and statements into account in any way."