Eighty years after World War II’s conclusion, Japan and China are commemorating the anniversary in starkly contrasting ways on different dates, with divergent messages, and amid renewed political strain.
Japan holds a solemn ceremony every August 15, the date then-Emperor Hirohito announced the country’s surrender in a crackling radio broadcast in 1945. In contrast, China marks the anniversary on September 3 with grand military displays, including a planned parade this year featuring tanks, missiles, and a flyover of fighter jets.
These commemorations reflect lingering resentment and historical wounds from Japan’s brutal occupation of China during the war. The invasion, particularly in northeastern China then called Manchuria left an estimated 20 million dead. A museum in the city of Benxi honors the Chinese resistance fighters who endured harsh winters in hidden outposts before retreating into Russia. They returned only after the Soviet Union launched an offensive on August 9, 1945 the same day the US dropped its second atomic bomb, on Nagasaki.
While Japan presents itself as a pacifist nation today, its recent push to strengthen its military in response to regional threats especially from China has reignited historical sensitivities.
Beijing frequently points to Japan’s wartime past to deflect criticism of its own military expansion.
“Japan must reflect on its historical culpability,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said recently, accusing Tokyo of hiding its true military ambitions under the guise of regional security.
Japan’s August 15 ceremony in Tokyo, broadcast live by public broadcaster NHK, features remarks from Emperor Naruhito and the prime minister. Naruhito, the grandson of Hirohito, expressed “deep remorse” at last year’s event for Japan’s wartime actions.
However, diplomatic tensions persist. On the same day, several Japanese cabinet ministers visited Yasukuni Shrine seen by China and South Korea as a symbol of imperial militarism.
In China, September 3 is recognised as Victory Day, marking the date following Japan’s formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
At the ceremony, Japanese officials signed the surrender alongside US Gen. Douglas MacArthur and representatives from Allied nations, including China.
China has amplified its Victory Day commemorations since 2014, partly to assert its version of wartime history and counter Japan’s narrative. That year, President Xi Jinping and top Communist Party officials elevated the profile of the event, aligning it with rising nationalism and ongoing territorial disputes with Japan in the East China Sea.
This year, another major parade is in the works, with Russian President Vladimir Putin expected to attend an appearance that underscores the deepening ties between Moscow and Beijing in a shifting global landscape.
Though the guns of World War II fell silent decades ago, the political and historical echoes remain sharp especially between Asia’s two largest powers, who continue to wrestle not only with the past, but with what it means for the future.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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