Japan’s protest over Russian soldier statue aggravates ‘summer of tension’ - South China Morning Post

Julian RyallPublished: 8:00am, 10 Sep 2026Updated: 4:03pm, 10 Sep 2026Russia has rebuffed a strongly worded complaint from Japan over a statue in the city of Khabarovsk depicting a Soviet soldier smashing an imperial-era border marker bearing the Japanese emperor’s emblem, with analysts predicting bilateral relations will stay chilly.The 15-metre granite monument, commemorating the Soviet Union’s victory over Japan in 1945, shows a soldier using the butt of his rifle to shatter the border post – a replica of the markers once installed along the 50th parallel on Sakhalin Island, which divided Japanese-controlled southern Sakhalin from the Russian-held north.

The Soviet Union seized control of southern Sakhalin near the end of World War II, and Japan renounced its claims to the territory in 1951.

A 16-petalled chrysanthemum motif, the imperial symbol, is depicted on the statue. Its unveiling last week went ahead despite Tokyo’s requests through diplomatic channels for changes, prompting Japan’s foreign ministry to call it “extremely regrettable”.

Speaking in Moscow on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made clear that Tokyo’s protests would be ignored.