Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova stated on the 24th that the Takashi Sanae government ignores historical lessons and whitewashes heinous crimes.
In response to media questions at a regular press conference, she said that during World War II, Japanese militarists committed appalling crimes. The recent act by Takashi Sanae of offering a ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine shows that her government disregards the feelings of the people from neighboring countries who suffered from Japanese militarist atrocities during World War II. This once again confirms that the Takashi government completely ignores historical lessons and whitewashes heinous crimes.
She stated that the Russian side urges the Japanese government to face up to the outcomes of World War II and to abandon policies accelerating remilitarization.
When talking about the Japanese cabinet significantly relaxing restrictions on weapons exports, Zakharova said that this move by the Japanese government is a deliberate violation of Japan’s constitution.
She stated that the participation of Japanese Self-Defense Forces in the US-Philippines joint military exercises does not contribute to maintaining the stability and harmonious development of the Asia-Pacific region, but will only aggravate regional tensions. The Russian side has always expressed deep concerns about Japan’s active participation in military activities under the Japan-US alliance framework and its full support for the US in building cliques in the Asia-Pacific region.