Russia’s legislative lower house passed a bill Wednesday designating Sept. 2 as the anniversary of the end of World War II, effectively stipulating it a day commemorating the Soviet Union’s victory over Japan.
Japan formally surrendered to the Allied Powers on Sept. 2, 1945, with a signing ceremony aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
The Russian “Victory Day” designation could be seen as a response to Japan’s calls for the return of four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido as disputes over the status of the islands, which were seized by the Soviets in the closing days of the war, remain unresolved. (Japan Times)