Explainer: Russia, China, Taiwan and Japan's World War Two legacy dispute

Key Points:

• Russian diplomats in Taiwan recently screened a film portraying Japanese "militarism" and World War Two, raising concerns that Russia may be aiding China in promoting a narrative of a rising Japanese military threat to disrupt Taiwan's relations with Tokyo and Western allies.
• The Soviet Union entered the war in East Asia late, occupying Japanese-held northeastern China and seizing islands near Japan, which remain under Russian control, contributing to unresolved territorial disputes between Moscow and Tokyo.
• China views World War Two as a heroic struggle against Japanese aggression, emphasizing the sacrifices of 35 million people and highlighting the roles of both China and the Soviet Union as key resistors against Japan and Germany.
• Taiwan disputes Beijing's narrative, asserting that the Republic of China, which governed during the war and fought Japan, should be credited for the victory, while accusing Mao's communists of exploiting the war to strengthen their forces before their 1949 takeover.
• The historical and political tensions stemming from differing interpretations of World War Two continue to influence current geopolitical dynamics among Taiwan, China, Russia, and Japan.