Russia May Begin Marking Victory Over Japan

Russia may soon join the United States observing a second day marking the Axis defeat in World War II: Victory Over Japan Day. The decision could raise eyebrows in Washington as well as Japan because of the Soviet Union's controversial role during the war in the Pacific.

It was the same day the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Hiroshima had already been bombed on August 6. Japan surrendered to the Allied forces less than a month later on September 2. In that time, the Red Army invaded the Japanese-controlled southern part of Sakhalin Island and took over four Kuril Islands -- called Northern Territories by Japan, which still claims sovereignty in a bitter dispute that's prevented Moscow and Tokyo from signing a formal treaty ending hostilities to this day.
Russia May Begin Marking Victory Over Japan

As far as I know, Soviet abandoned the nonaggression pact in August 1945, and invaded north of Japan as well as Machuko. So it is appropriate for them to set a Day of Invasion, not Victory Day.

Either way, unless Russia return north islands to Japan, Japan will not help Russia to deveolop Siberian economy, meaning the region will be gradually eaten away by the neighboring countries, excluding Japan.

You know, Russia under Putin has been a real... interesting thing.

This annoys me on all sorts of levels.

As always, I think Russia will survive someone not liking it.

I liken Japanese behaviour in the territorial dispute with the Chinese burning Japanese flags in the past (It has stopped now). The Japanese continue to mark the day of the Northern territories shouting abuse and threats towards Russia. Unlike Koreans or Chinese Russians don't have this type of demonstrations against the Japanese. Overall, the population is friendly towards Japan and Japanese but you should take into account that the public opinion is against returning the islands. Many consider this is a small price for the atrocities in Asia and for the Russian and Chinese soldiers who died in Manchuria. Anyway, even if any Russian president wanted to return some or all islands, it may not be easy and even impossible and the Japanese politicians shouldn't promise anything. There are two sides in any arguments


Marking Victory Over Japan in Russia is to commemorate the soldiers who died, they have been neglected for a long time. This is not against Japan. Russia also marks Victory over Germany but relations between Russia and Germany are very good on all levels.

Astroboy said:

The decision could raise eyebrows in Washington as well as Japan because of the Soviet Union's controversial role during the war in the Pacific.

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Of course it was "controversial". Truman was scared like hell till the last minute that he would have to fight Japan onland and without the USSR on his side. Some researchers believe that in this case the war on the Japanese territory would last for a year and could take the lives of up to 1.5 million of the US soldiers.

The Kuril Islands story is one of the best example of the stupidity of the Japanese government. The J-officials shouldn't have acted like American ******. Instead of that they should have negotiate with the USSR directly. The Soviets were ready to return two islands practically right after the war and negotiate about the rest of two. Japan denied it because the USA told them to do so. Now they brought the situation to the condition where the peace treaty is not actual for Russia anymore. Toyota and Mitsubishi found their ways to Moscow without any "peace treaty."