Tokyo dissatisfied with Russia’s law on Victory Day Over Militaristic Japan
A law was passed in Russia, according to which the name of the holiday celebrated on September 3rd was changed from Day of the End of World War II to Victory Day Over Militaristic Japan and the End of World War II. As noted by Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, this law can allegedly provoke anti-Japanese and anti-Russian trends in each of the countries, RIA Novosti reports.
"We know that such a law has been adopted. Regarding the past war, our country constantly brings its vision and position to the attention of Russia. The passage of this law could not only stir anti-Japanese sentiment among the Russian people, but may also lead to anti-Russian sentiment among the Japanese people. This is extremely regrettable. Through diplomatic channels, on June 23rd, the Russian side was given an idea of this position of Japan, and we also called on (Russia) not to intentionally create an unnecessary confrontation between (our) peoples," Mr. Matsuno said at a press conference in Tokyo.
On June 24th, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law establishing September 3rd as Day of Victory Over Militaristic Japan and the End of World War II. The relevant document is published on the official Internet portal of legal information.
The law changes the name of the day of military glory of Russia from September 3rd is Day of the End of World War II (1945) to September 3rd is Day of Victory Over Militaristic Japan and the End of World War II (1945). The explanatory materials note that, after the start of the special operation, Tokyo ‘in co-ordination with the collective West unleashed an unprecedented unfriendly campaign for modern Russian-Japanese relations’ against the Russian Federation. The documents emphasise that the proposed change may be one of the ‘countermeasures’.
In this regard, Mr. Matsuno noted that he ‘will refrain from commenting on the reasons that prompted Russia to adopt this law’, but assured that ‘Japan will continue tough sanctions against Russia and strong assistance to Ukraine’.
