"Lack of Genuine Remorse"... Russia Also Condemns Japan's Yasukuni Shrine Visit

Members of the 'National Assembly Members Group Visiting Yasukuni Shrine Together' are paying their respects at Yasukuni Shrine on the 22nd. Photo by Yonhap News

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Russia has criticized Japanese lawmakers for collectively visiting Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, where Class-A war criminals from the Pacific War are enshrined, calling it an "attitude that shows no remorse for war."

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said at a briefing on the 24th (local time), "We strongly condemn this practice, which looks especially appalling in this year marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II."

This statement was made in response to the group visit by 72 members of the Japanese cross-party parliamentary league, the 'National Assembly Members Group Visiting Yasukuni Shrine Together', who paid their respects at Yasukuni Shrine on the 22nd during the shrine's spring festival (Reitaisai).

Spokesperson Zakharova stated, "Such actions clearly demonstrate the nature of the Japanese authorities' accelerated remilitarization process," and added, "At the core of this process is a refusal to take responsibility for aggression and a lack of genuine remorse."

She pointed out that Class-A war criminals are venerated at Yasukuni Shrine, calling it "a horrific symbol of Japanese militarism." She went on to say, "We have repeatedly emphasized that Japan is offending the people of neighboring countries who suffered from imperialist expansionism and aggressive policies in the first half of the 20th century."

She further added, "Once again, we urge Japan to stop trying to whitewash the inhumane pages of its history and to fully acknowledge the outcomes of World War II."

Spokesperson Zakharova also criticized Japan's signing of a contract on the 18th to lend 471.9 billion yen (about 4.7 trillion won) to Ukraine, with repayment to be made using profits from frozen Russian assets in the European Union, saying, "We will regard this as collusion in theft."

She warned, "We consider such actions to be extremely hostile and treacherous," and cautioned that they will have a negative impact on Japan-Russia relations.

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