ST. PETERSBURG, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Japan's recent abnormal remarks and military moves related to Taiwan have heightened regional tensions, and Tokyo should return to the pacifist principles enshrined in its constitution, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

At a press briefing, Zakharova made the remarks in response to a question raised by Xinhua regarding Japan's repeated erroneous statements on Taiwan and its accelerating remilitarization agenda.

Zakharova said the Japanese government "remains obstinate" and continues to make various abnormal remarks concerning Taiwan.

She reiterated that Russia's principled position on the Taiwan question is well known and consistent: Russia recognizes Taiwan as an inalienable part of China and opposes any attempt to seek "Taiwan independence" in any form. The Taiwan question is China's internal affair, and China has every legitimate right to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

She stressed that Russia has repeatedly urged Japan to stop moving down the path of remilitarization and return to the true pacifist stance established by its constitution.

Under the Japanese constitution, the country has renounced war as an instrument of national policy. However, the Japanese authorities' bellicose statements and actions not only heighten regional tensions but also directly contradict Japan's own constitution, she said.

Historical truth must be safeguarded, Zakharova added, stressing the need to resist attempts to distort history and undermine the postwar international order. She said that resisting Nazism and fascism is a shared responsibility of all humankind.

The press conference was held on the sidelines of the international conference "The Great Patriotic War in the Collective Memory of CIS Nations," which took place in St. Petersburg on Dec. 4-5. Enditem