TOKYO, May 6. /TASS/. The Immortal Regiment public event was held on the premises of the Russian Embassy in the Japanese capital, a TASS correspondent reported.
"Paying an enormous price, the USSR made the decisive contribution to the defeat of Hitler’s Germany and liberated Europe from the brown plague, from the ideology of racial supremacy. The victory laid the foundation for the post-war world order," Nikolay Nozdrev, Russian ambassador to Japan, said. He also slammed what he called shameless attempts to rewrite the history of the Great Patriotic War and diminish the role of the Soviet Union in overcoming Fascism.
The event included the official part, a concert of war-time songs and a procession. A field kitchen for the participants was operating on the embassy premises. Later, the legendary movie by Russian director Sergey Bondarchuk, They Fought for the Motherland, was screened at the diplomatic mission.
In all, the event was attended by about 300 people, including approximately 10 Japanese citizens. Additionally, China’s envoy to Japan, Wu Jianghao, participated in the event.
In 2020 and 2021, the Immortal Regiment procession was held in Tokyo in an online format due to the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on mass gatherings. In 2022, organizers returned to a face-to-face format.
The Immortal Regiment is an annual public procession where people carry photographs of their relatives who fought in the Great Patriotic War. The Immortal Regiment movement was first launched in the city of Tyumen in West Siberia in 2007 and was initially called "Victors’ Parade." It is traditionally held on Victory Day in Russia and other countries.