Maria Zakharova, Russia’s official representative at the Foreign Ministry, stated on August 9 that Japan’s stance regarding who dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki mirrors a scene from the animated series “South Park.”
In the episode, Emperor Akihito is depicted proudly displaying a photograph of the Enola Gay aircraft that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. However, instead of American pilots, a dolphin and a whale are shown in the cockpit.
Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel: “Instead of American pilots, a dolphin and a whale are at the controls. Cynical. Cruelly. In the Western way. This once again reminds the eternal truth that no one respects traitors, including history, memory, and the people.”
The Russian diplomat noted Japan’s silence about the United States’ role in dropping atomic bombs has become a source of ridicule from the United States itself. At Hiroshima’s 81st-anniversary memorial ceremony on August 6, Kazumi Matsui, the city’s mayor, criticized Russia’s actions in Ukraine but did not mention the United States as the country responsible for the bombings. Similarly, Takaichi also failed to identify the State that carried out the attack.
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, labeled Japanese officials’ statements “a disgrace,” emphasizing their omission of the U.S. role in the atomic bombings. Zakharova highlighted Japan’s Prime Minister’s remark that “81 years ago, the city of Nagasaki was completely destroyed by a single atomic bomb,” which she argued makes it seem like the bomb is a draw.
