Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has sharply criticized Japan’s demands concerning a controversial monument in Khabarovsk.
In statements made on September 9–10, 2026, Zakharova said that Tokyo’s demands regarding the monument interfere with Russia’s sovereignty and represent another attempt to mislead the international community and rewrite the history of Japanese militarism.
“Tokyo’s demands concerning the monuments in Khabarovsk affect Russia’s sovereignty and are another attempt to mislead the international community and rewrite the history of Japanese militarism.”
The approximately 15-meter-high monument was unveiled in Khabarovsk on September 4, 2026. It commemorates the Soviet Union’s victory over militarist Japan in 1945 and the end of World War II.
The monument depicts a Soviet soldier smashing a border post with the butt of his rifle. The post bears a chrysanthemum emblem associated with the Japanese imperial family.
The monument was erected on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin in cooperation with the Russian Military Historical Society and the administration of the Khabarovsk region.
Japan had reportedly requested changes to or the removal of the monument through diplomatic channels both before and after its unveiling. Japan’s Foreign Ministry described the monument as “unacceptable” from the perspective of the feelings of the Japanese people and called it “extremely regrettable.”
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also said that Tokyo would continue to demand the monument’s removal. Japan argues that the chrysanthemum is a national symbol and that a monument depicting its destruction is unacceptable.
Zakharova rejected Japan’s criticism, arguing that the chrysanthemum emblem was also associated with Japanese militarism. She said that weapons bearing the emblem had been used in crimes against Russians, Chinese and other peoples.
“The Japanese Consulate General in Khabarovsk should not even open its mouth about the chrysanthemum. They should regret it forever,” Zakharova said.
She had previously dismissed Japan’s demands as absurd, comparing them to “asking the wind not to blow and the sun not to shine.”
The Russian side has emphasized that the monument is a matter of sovereignty and that Moscow will not allow what it describes as an attempt to rewrite history. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has also indicated that Tokyo’s demand would not be taken into consideration.
The dispute adds another layer of tension to historical disagreements between Russia and Japan, including disputes over the Kuril Islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan, as well as differing interpretations of the legacy of World War II.
Source: @russianews_eng on X (September 10, 2026) and related news agency reports.