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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Saturday urged Russia to remove a war monument unveiled in the Russian Far East, which depicts a Soviet soldier destroying a stone marker bearing the chrysanthemum crest, Kyodo News reported.
The bronze statue was unveiled Friday in Khabarovsk, according to Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. The chrysanthemum crest is widely recognized as a symbol of Japan, and Takaichi called the monument depicting its destruction "completely unacceptable."
Motegi also described the statue as "not constructive" for bilateral relations, as well as "unacceptable and extremely regrettable in terms of Japanese national sentiment."
"Through diplomatic channels, we have strongly requested the Russian side to cease the installation and remove it," he said.
Motegi added that while it is "extremely regrettable that the Russian side has not responded to Japan's request as of the present moment," Tokyo will continue to "strongly urge the Russian side to remove it." There was no immediate reaction from Moscow to Tokyo's remarks.
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 between the two countries 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 Japan and Russia 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.
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