Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Japan stood on the wrong side of history during World War II (WWII), warning that the country's wartime crimes will continue if it fails to reflect on its mistakes.
In a recent exclusive interview with the China Media Group (CMG) on Monday, Zakharova said Japanese politicians during the WWII misled a large number of domestic people, causing them to lose their humanity and committed extremely cruel crimes.
Addressing the root of ongoing historical tensions, Zakharova pointed to the persistent refusal by some Japanese political figures to acknowledge wartime aggression.
"The problem with certain individuals and politicians in Japan lies in their consistent inability to confront the obvious fact that during the World War II, Japan stood on the wrong side of history. Japan was an aggressor, a militarist, and committed extremely cruel crimes, massacring a large number of Chinese citizens as well as citizens of our country," said Zakharova.
The spokeswoman said since the end of the WWII, Japanese politicians, the nation and the society have had numerous opportunities to seriously reflect on their aggression. However, some Japanese politicians have refused to acknowledge their mistakes, which means that Japan's past crimes are continuing.
Highlighting the danger of honoring wartime militarist figures without historical accountability, Zakharova also stressed that Russia will stay on the same side with China to prevent the resurgence of Japanese militarism.
"It is particularly frightening when we heard Japanese politicians make such remarks, especially when Japanese officials even claimed that a certain special respect must be shown to those Japanese militarist leaders or soldiers. This is a continuation of the crimes committed more than 80 years ago, because if mistakes and crimes are not reflected upon, the crimes of that era will continue. In my view, they must learn their lessons, so that their own descendants will not repeat the same mistakes. We have been through all of this, and we will never allow this trend to spread. I believe that Russia and China are on the same side on this issue," she said.
Russian spokeswoman condemns Japan for refusing to confront wartime crimes
American singer John Legend expressed his astonishment at the scale and quality of the China Media Group (CMG)'s 2026 Spring Festival Gala and his honor at being a part of the grand television spectacle which has been recognized as the world's most-watched annual TV show.
The hours-long gala was aired on Monday evening on the eve of the Chinese New Year, with a carefully curated line-up of performances, high-tech special effects, and entertaining variety acts guiding viewers towards the new year -- which this year ushered in the Year of the Horse.
As the clock ticked past midnight on Tuesday, Legend took to the stage to perform his chart-topping hit "All of Me", before teaming up with French actress and singer Helene Rolles to deliver a touching rendition of the main theme song of the classic Disney movie "Beauty and the Beast".
In an exclusive interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN), Legend said he was delighted to participate in the TV extravaganza.
"Wow, I've been so amazed by all the other artists that I've seen. The dancers, the singers, the performers. It's such a beautiful, festive show and I'm so honored to be a part of it," said Legend.
While China's Spring Festival is the most cherished time for celebrating family reunions and making people-to-people connections, Legend felt the message of love in his hit song 'All of Me' was especially fitting for the occasion, and shared the story behind how the classic 2013 hit was born.
"These songs are all about love, and I think music is really in a lot of ways about celebrating love and celebrating connection and celebrating our shared humanity. And I think it's a great, great way to bring in the new year here in China. I'm doing 'All of Me' at this performance. And no matter where I perform 'All of Me' around the world, people sing along. People feel connected to the song, people have memories associated with the song, whether it's their wedding or their first date or whatever feelings they have about love and relationships, that song has meant a lot to a lot of people all around the world, and it just shows you that deep down, we're all the same," he said.
"I wrote it right before I got married to my wife and she did cry the first time she heard it, and the first time I sang it in front of an audience was at our wedding. And we filmed the music video that same week in Italy during the week of our wedding. And so it will always be really meaningful to me, but I'm grateful that it's so meaningful to other people as well," he added.
In addition to Legend, Irish pop group Westlife also performed during the gala, as they gave an entertaining version of their iconic ballad, "My Love", while veteran U.S. singer Lionel Ritchie was among the other international stars who appeared in an earlier segment.
The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional holiday for the Chinese people, and watching the Spring Festival Gala, also known as "Chunwan", is a cherished part of the celebrations every year in hundreds of millions of Chinese homes.
Since first being broadcast in 1983, the gala has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the most-watched annual television program on the planet.
US singing star John Legend shares honor at being part of 2026 Spring Festival Gala
