Japan’s protest over Russian soldier statue aggravates ‘summer of tension’
Por Julian Ryall — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Japan This Week in Asia Politics Japan’s protest over Russian soldier statue aggravates ‘summer of tension’
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is under pressure from conservatives to take firm action, including helping Ukraine in its war against Russia
4 -MIN READ 4 -MIN 1 Listen
Julian Ryall Published: 8:00am, 10 Sep 2026 Russia has rebuffed a strongly worded complaint from Japan about the unveiling of a statue in the city of Khabarovsk depicting a Soviet soldier smashing an imperial-era border marker bearing the emblem of the Japanese emperor, with analysts suggesting the bilateral relations will inevitably remain chilly.
The 15-metre granite monument to the Soviet Union’s victory over Japan in 1945 shows a soldier using the butt of his rifle to shatter the border post, identical to the former markers installed along the 50th parallel on Sakhalin Island to mark the boundary between the then Japanese-controlled southern section of the island north of Japan and the Russian-held north.
The Soviet Union took back control of southern Sakhalin near the end of World War II, and Japan renounced its claims to the territory in 1951.
A 16-petaled chrysanthemum motif, the symbol of the emperor, is depicted on the statue. Its unveiling last week went ahead despite Tokyo’s requests for an amendment through diplomatic channels, with its foreign ministry describing the statue as “extremely regrettable”.
In a statement, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she had also requested that the statue be removed, adding: “The Chrysanthemum Crest is widely recognised as a symbol of Japan, and it is completely unacceptable to erect a monument depicting its destruction.”
Speaking at a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made it clear that Tokyo’s protests would be ignored.
Advertisement Select Voice Select Speed 0.8x 0.9x 1.0x 1.1x 1.2x 1.5x 1.75x 00:00 00:00 1x AI-generated voice
