# Eliminating Japanese chemical weapons on China-Russia border will take decades, envoy says

https://mins.news/en/item/45766

- TASS, 2026-09-04 16:55 UTC
- World
- Original: https://tass.com/politics/2182931

> Russia’s permanent representative to the OPCW, Vladimir Tarabrin, says removing World War II-era chemical weapons left by the Imperial Japanese Army in Chinese provinces bordering Russia will take decades. The work has continued since 2007, but the current 2027 target is clearly unattainable. Hundreds of thousands of shells remain underground, with only several hundred processed annually, posing risks of leaks and groundwater contamination.