Tokyo demands removal of Khabarovsk monument showing Soviet soldier smashing Japan’s chrysanthemum emblem
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has demanded the removal of a monument to the “victory over militarist Japan” that was unveiled in Khabarovsk on Sept. 4. The bronze sculpture depicts a Soviet soldier using the butt of his rifle to smash a stone border marker bearing a chrysanthemum, the symbol of Japan’s Imperial House. Takaichi called said Tokyo had raised objections with the Russian side…
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has demanded the removal of a monument in Khabarovsk, Russia, that depicts a Soviet soldier smashing a Japanese chrysanthemum emblem. The bronze sculpture was erected on the Amur River embankment on September 4, 2021. Takaichi stated that the chrysanthemum is a widely recognized symbol of Japan, and the monument's destruction is entirely unacceptable.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also conveyed the Japanese government's objections through diplomatic channels, but the Russian side did not comply. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed the Japanese demands, calling it futile as Russian history is based on facts. The monument, created with the participation of the Russian Military Historical Society, stands 15 meters tall and features the names of various Soviet military units.
The unveiling ceremony included representatives from China and North Korea. The monument's design incorporates elements from Japanese boundary markers used on Sakhalin after the Russo-Japanese War, with the soldier holding a Mosin rifle to emphasize the historical connection between the two nations.
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