Russia has refused to grant Japan's request to remove an image of a chrysanthemum from the "Victory in the East" memorial complex in Khabarovsk. The request by Japanese diplomats comes a day before the opening ceremony of the monument. The image was painted on a border post that a soldier breaks with a rifle butt, the TV channel "Gubernia" reported.
"The chrysanthemum is the national flower of Japan, and the seal with the image of the chrysanthemum is traditionally used as a symbol of the emperor and the imperial family, and is also placed on the cover of Japanese passports. We ask local authorities to take measures to prevent unjustified incitement to confrontation between Japan and Russia and to remove the sign with the image of the seal with the chrysanthemum. If such statues have already been installed, we ask them to consider removing them," the Consulate General of Japan said in a statement.
The Russian Military Historical Society rejected the Japanese side's request. Nikolai Ovsienko, deputy chairman of the Russian Military Historical Society, explained that the monument contains many historical details, and the pillar is one of them. He emphasized that the chrysanthemum in this context symbolizes not only the imperial house, but also Japanese militarism, which committed monstrous crimes.
"This is an exact copy of the border post that imperial Japan erected on Sakhalin Island. When we finally liberated Sakhalin and returned it to Russia, a Russian soldier, a Soviet soldier, broke this symbol of militaristic Japan. We are being asked to remove the imperial chrysanthemum from the monument. In my opinion, this request is extremely inappropriate, because this chrysanthemum is not only a symbol of the Japanese imperial house, but also a symbol of militarism, which committed monstrous crimes," Ovsienko noted.