Japan must "draw lessons from history" of World War II and "finally break with militarism". This statement was made by the spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Mao Ning after the Japanese side called on Russia to dismantle a chrysanthemum symbol from the "Victory in the East" monument in Khabarovsk, the press service of the Chinese Foreign Ministry reported, quoted by RBC.
According to it, Japan has joined the UN, recognizing the crimes of militarism and accepting all the provisions of the UN Charter, and the "enemy state clauses" regarding the countries defeated in World War II remain in force to this day. As the 80th anniversary of the Tokyo Trials approaches, Japan must earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through its actions, the diplomat added.
Last week, Japanese representative Sanae Takaichi said that Tokyo demanded that the Russian side dismantle the memorial commemorating the USSR's victory over Japan. She described the installation of the monument, which depicts the destruction of the chrysanthemum emblem, a recognized symbol of Japan, as absolutely unacceptable.
Russian President Dmitry Peskov's press secretary said that Moscow could not comply with this demand. "We note with surprise that during commemorative events marking the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, none of the Japanese leaders mentioned the United States - the only country in the world that used nuclear weapons. The Japanese people don't remember this either," he said.
In response to Takaichi's appeal, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that the only thing left to ask for was that the wind not blow and the sun not shine. "If Tokyo treats Japanese history with contempt, this disease should not spread to others," she said.
The monument, dedicated to the USSR's victory over Japan and the end of World War II, was unveiled in Khabarovsk on September 4. According to the sculptors' idea, a Soviet soldier hits a border post with a chrysanthemum - a symbol of imperial Japan - with the butt of his rifle. The 15-meter statue is cast in bronze.