TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Saturday urged Russia to remove a war victory statue unveiled in Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East the previous day, depicting a Soviet soldier destroying a stone marker bearing the chrysanthemum crest.
The chrysanthemum crest is widely recognized as a symbol of Japan, with Takaichi saying the installation of a monument portraying its destruction is "completely unacceptable."
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also called the erection of the statue "regrettable" and "not constructive" for bilateral relations.
The unveiling was timed to coincide with Thursday's anniversary of Russia's World War II victory over Japan. Japan announced its surrender on Aug. 15, 1945, before formally signing the surrender documents in early September that year.
In 2023, Russia changed the name of the Sept. 3 anniversary from "The Day of the End of World War II" to "The Day of Victory over Militarist Japan and the End of World War II."
The latest development comes amid worsening relations following President Vladimir Putin's first visit last month to a Russian-held, Japanese-claimed island chain off Hokkaido, which prompted a protest from Tokyo.
Relations between the two countries have been strained since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which prompted Japan and its Group of Seven peers to impose sanctions on Moscow.
