At a regular press conference on September 9, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zakharova once again stated in response to Japan's proposal that Russia demolish monuments to defeat militarism, saying that Japanese militarism had invaded Asian countries, including China, and committed serious crimes, including the Nanjing Massacre, and that Japan has not carried out “de-Nazification” similar to Germany so far. Furthermore, Japanese political elites also often visit so-called “shrines” dedicated to militarist war criminals. In the view of Japan's neighboring countries, these acts of worship mean that Japan is unwilling to face up to crimes committed during the war. Zakharova pointed out that the Japanese side's request for the Khabarovsk monument involves Russia's national sovereignty and is yet another attempt to mislead the international community and tamper with the history of Japanese militarism.

At a regular press conference on September 9, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zakharova once again stated in response to Japan's proposal that Russia demolish monuments to defeat militarism, saying that Japanese militarism had invaded Asian countries, including China, and committed serious crimes, including the Nanjing Massacre, and that Japan has not carried out “de-Nazification” similar to Germany so far. Furthermore, Japanese political elites also often visit so-called “shrines” dedicated to militarist war criminals. In the view of Japan's neighboring countries, these acts of worship mean that Japan is unwilling to face up to crimes committed during the war. Zakharova pointed out that the Japanese side's request for the Khabarovsk monument involves Russia's national sovereignty and is yet another attempt to mislead the international community and tamper with the history of Japanese militarism.