Japan PM demands Russia remove statue depicting destruction of national symbol

Japan's premier has formally urged Russia to remove a bronze monument in Khabarovsk that depicts a Soviet soldier destroying a stone marker bearing Japan's chrysanthemum crest, a symbol of the Japanese state. The statue, unveiled recently, is a deliberate provocation that escalates symbolic tensions between Tokyo and Moscow amid ongoing disputes over the Kuril Islands and Russia's war in Ukraine. The demand signals a hardening of Japan's stance toward Russia, though the practical impact is limited to diplomatic rhetoric.