Beijing, 25 Jun (Xinhua) -- Russia's Day has been renamed to hit Japan, and the deterioration of bilateral relations is difficult to turn around
Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Zan
According to Russian media reports on the 24th, Russian President Putin signed a bill to rename the "anniversary of the end of World War II" on September 3 to "Victory Day of the Anti-Japanese Militarist War and the anniversary of the end of World War II". The law is a countermeasure to Japan's anti-Russian policy.
Analysts pointed out that since the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, Japan has followed the United States and the West in condemning and sanctioning Russia, vigorously supporting Ukraine, trying to promote its own military relaxation by exaggerating external threats, in exchange for the United States and the West supporting its military security strategy, and seeking geopolitical self-interest in the Asia-Pacific region. Russia has taken a series of countermeasures against Japan, which has completely lost Japan's previous diplomatic achievements with Russia on territorial issues and other issues. It is difficult to improve Russian-Japanese relations in the short term.
This is the Kremlin photographed on January 6 in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Alexander)
Deconstructing Japan's "Moral Superiority"
According to reports, this bill was introduced by Kartapolov, chairman of the defense committee of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament), and others in June last year. The bill was passed by the State Duma and the Federation Council (the upper house of parliament) on June 20 and 21 this year, respectively, and officially became law after Putin signed it.
The explanatory document of the law states that after Russia's special military operation, Japan and Western countries jointly launched unfriendly actions against Russia, and the change in the name of the September 3 anniversary was one of the "countermeasures".
On September 2, 1945, Japanese representatives signed the instrument of surrender to the Allies aboard the USS Missouri, a U.S. warship anchored in Tokyo Bay. September 3 has always been used in Russia as a commemoration of the end of World War II.
Analysts pointed out that after the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, Japan joined the US and Western camps to condemn and sanction Russia, portraying Russia as a "destroyer of the international order", and itself regarded itself as a "pacifist country" and occupied the so-called "moral high ground". The addition of the words "anti-Japanese militarism" to the name of the anniversary of the end of World War II this time is to emphasize Japan's evil deeds as an aggressor and the source of war, as well as its position in the post-war international order as a defeated country, and to deconstruct Japan's "moral superiority."
Chen Yang, a visiting researcher at the Center for Japanese Studies at Liaoning University, believes that Russia's move is also countering the anti-Russian narrative on the history of World War II in the West in recent years, which will help boost the patriotic sentiment of the Russian people.
On May 9, Russia held a military parade on Moscow's Red Square to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The picture shows a T-34 tank (front) driving past Red Square. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Cao Yang
Japan's anti-Russian plans are different
Before the escalation of the Ukraine crisis, Japan's policy toward Russia was mainly to promote the settlement of territorial issues and the conclusion of peace treaties through economic cooperation. Especially during the administration of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Abe interacted frequently with Putin, and the two countries maintained relatively good relations.
However, after the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, Japan's policy towards Russia has undergone a huge change, and it has worked very hard to follow the United States and the West in condemning and sanctioning Russia. Japan holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven (G7) this year, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Ukraine in March this year and invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to attend the G7 Hiroshima Summit in May. At related meetings such as the Hiroshima summit, Japan dominated the anti-Russian agenda and played an important role in the Western anti-Russian camp. Japan also actively supports Ukraine, providing helmets, bulletproof vests and other non-lethal equipment to Ukraine in the early days of the conflict, and recently announced the supply of heavy trucks and military rations.
Analysts pointed out that Japan made excuses for its own military relaxation by emphasizing the Russian threat and playing up the so-called "most severe and complex security environment after the war" at home, while showing loyalty to the United States with anti-Russia support for Ukraine, hugging the thigh of the Western camp in exchange for its support for Japan's military security strategy.
Chen Yang pointed out that Japan has repeatedly stressed that the so-called "Ukraine today is tomorrow's East Asia" and "security in Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific region is inseparable." Under such repeated exaggeration, the Japanese government did not face much public resistance when revising the three national security documents at the end of last year, and easily achieved a large breakthrough in military strength, which was unimaginable before.
Then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Prime Minister's residence in Tokyo, Japan, December 16, 2016. Xinhua News Agency
It is difficult for Russian-Japanese relations to turn around
In the face of Japan's anti-Russian policy, Russia has taken a series of countermeasures, including putting Japan on the list of "unfriendly countries", stopping discussions with Japan on the issue of signing a peace treaty, expelling several staff members of the Japanese embassy in Russia, and increasing military pressure on Japan by holding military exercises and air cruises around Japan.
Under the countermeasures of the Russian side, Japan's long-term diplomatic achievements with Russia that have promoted government have disappeared. Previously, the two countries carried out activities such as "common economic activities" and "visa-free exchanges" in the disputed South Kuril Islands (known as the four northern islands in Japan), in which the issue of sovereignty ownership was downplayed. Although Japan has not been able to achieve a final settlement of the territorial issue through economic cooperation, it has retained some hope. After Japan followed the extreme sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and the West, Russia strengthened its claim to sovereignty over the disputed islands by economic and military means and stopped these activities. Japanese media quoted officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying that the negotiations between the two countries so far will return to "zero ground".
Chen Yang believes that Russia's countermeasures show that it has no illusions about the improvement and development of Russian-Japanese relations for a considerable period of time in the future, the political mutual trust previously established by the two countries has completely collapsed, and the possibility of deepening cooperation in economic and trade fields no longer exists. Future conflicts and confrontations between the two sides on issues such as history and territory may increase, which will further impact the already cold bilateral relationship.