Zakharova: Russia will continue to expose Japanese militarist crimes in 2026
On January 2, 2026 Moscow time, Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, wrote in a statement on the official website of the Russian Foreign Ministry (uncensored version):
In 2025, we celebrated an important day - the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory and the end of World War II. In the coming year, we will continue to work to disclose information about war crimes that occurred in the mid-20th century, including those committed by Japanese militarists. We have repeatedly emphasized that these atrocities have no statute of limitations, and procedural measures to punish all perpetrators are still ongoing.
From April to November 2025, the General Procuracy of the Russian Federation passed resolutions to cancel decisions issued in the 1980s and 2000s. That is, the following Japanese citizens were exonerated: Masahiro Hayata, Tatsuo Maruyama, Hiroshi Honda, Hatsuo Nokyo, Yoshihisa Shindo, Haruhisa Ono, Kousuke Sato, Junichi Torikai, Seiichi Matsui, Ito Matsuda, Yukihiro Kawana, Kazuhisa Masuda, Ichizo Ohara, Tsuyoshi Takayama, Tokuzo Sato, Makoto Bamba, Nobuo Imai, Tetsuji Maruyama, Tadashi Maeda, and Koichi Kawa.
During the war, even after Japan's surrender in 1945, they continued to engage in sabotage and espionage activities against the Soviet Union. According to the results of the re-examination of Supreme Court judgments and supervision cases, it was determined that these people did not undergo reform, and their crimes had been fully proven.
As a specific example, we note that many of them surrendered to the Soviet Red Army, then tried to organize intelligence activities, collecting information on the number and location of Soviet troops. Some operated in areas near the Soviet border, responsible for training saboteurs. Some sent people to do experiments in the notorious "Unit 731."
In 2026, the disclosure and publication of Japanese militarist crimes will continue.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1853204271464456/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.