Russia Accuses Japan’s Takaichi of Distorting WWII History

(MENAFN) Moscow has sharply condemned the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, accusing it of turning a blind eye to the atrocities committed by Imperial Japan and deliberately distorting the historical record of World War II.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova leveled the accusations during her regular Friday press briefing, asserting that Japanese militarists were responsible for grave war crimes during the global conflict.

At the center of Zakharova's criticism was Takaichi's decision to send ritual offerings to the Yasukuni Shrine — a site long regarded across Asia as a monument to Japanese militarism and wartime expansionism. The gesture, she argued, reflected a profound indifference toward the nations and peoples who bore the brunt of Imperial Japan's aggression.

The move, she charged, once again shows her administration's "absolute ignoring of the lessons of history, and the whitewashing of the most brutal, monstrous crimes of the past."

Zakharova called on Tokyo to unequivocally accept the outcome of World War II and reverse course on what she described as an accelerating push toward remilitarization.

Turning to Japan's recent loosening of its arms export regulations, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman characterized the policy shift as a calculated erosion of the pacifist commitments embedded in the country's postwar constitution.

Zakharova also weighed in on the participation of Japanese combat forces in joint military drills conducted alongside U.S. and Philippine troops, reiterating Moscow's longstanding unease over Japan's broadening military footprint under its American security alliance — warning that such actions risk inflaming tensions across the Asia Pacific region.

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