Russia's Unyielding WWII Memorial: A Thorn in Japan's Side The controversy surrounding a new World War II memorial in Khabarovsk, Russia has been simmering for weeks.
Japan's foreign ministry "strongly requested" its removal, but the Kremlin refused to even consider Tokyo's demand.
Russia erected the monument commemorating the Soviet Union's victory over Japan in 1945, which some see as a deliberate affront to Japan's national sentiment.