Japan and China commemorate World War II anniversary on different dates

Written by Ken Moritugu

China’s Benxi (AP) Though on different dates and in different ways, China and Japan are commemorating the centennial of the end of World War II with significant events.

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China displays its military might with a parade on September 3, the day after the official surrender, on an American battleship in Tokyo Bay, while Japan honors the victims in a solemn ceremony on August 15, the day then-Emperor Hirohito declared in a crackly radio message that the government had surrendered.

Before and during World War II, Japan brutally and destructively invaded much of China, killing an estimated 20 million people. Relations between the two nations are still hampered by the wartime experience.

The hardships of anti-Japanese resistance fighters who hunkered down in log cabins throughout harsh winters in the northeastern region of China, then known as Manchuria, before fleeing into Russia are highlighted in a museum in the city of Benxi.

They didn’t go back until August 9, 1945, when the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and began an offensive into Manchuria. On that same day, the United States exploded an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, further increasing pressure on Japan to surrender.

As it attempts to enforce the government’s territorial claims in the Pacific, China’s military is the source of concern these days. China’s militaristic past provides a handy counterargument when Japan discusses strengthening its defenses to counter the threat.

Last month, Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, stated, “We urge Japan to seriously consider its historical responsibility, sincerely learn from history, and cease using hype over regional tensions and China-related issues to conceal its true intent of military expansion.”

For many Japanese, Hirohito’s prepared surrender broadcast on August 15, 1945, was unintelligible. The quality of the sound was bad, and he spoke in obscure terms.

Historians argue that the fact that the emperor himself delivered the message was crucial.The war was waged in honor of Hirohito, who was revered as a living deity. His voice was unfamiliar to most Japanese.

Takahisa Furukawa, a professor at Nihon University, told The Associated Press in 2015 that the speech serves as a reminder of what it took to end the misguided war.

On August 15, the prime minister and the current emperor, Naruhito, the grandson of Hirohito, will speak at the annual ceremony in Tokyo, which will be televised live by public broadcaster NHK.

FILE Japanese people kneel in front of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo as Emperor Hirohito announced on radio that Japan was defeated in the World War II, on Aug. 15, 1945. (Kyodo New via AP, File)

FILE Japan s Emperor Naruhito, rear right, and Empress Masako, rear left, observe a moment of silence during a memorial service for the war dead at the Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo, as the country marks the 79th anniversary of its defeat in the World War II, on Aug. 15, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP, File)

FILE Military vehicles carrying Wing Loong, a Chinese made medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle, drive past Tiananmen Gate during a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Japan s World War II defeat in Beijing, on Sept. 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, Pool, File)

FILE A guest of honor with medals on his coat arrives at his seat to watch a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, on Sept. 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, Pool, File)

FILE Then Japanese Foreign Minister, Mamoru Shigemitsu signs the Japanese unconditional surrender papers for Emperor Hirohito aboard the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo harbor on Sept. 2, 1945. (AP Photo, File)

Naruhito conveyed his profound regret for Japan’s wartime misdeeds during the event last year. However, China and South Korea, who view the shrine as a representation of militarism, criticized the three Japanese cabinet officials who visited Tokyo’s Yasukuni shrine that same day.

On September 2, 1945, Japan submitted in a ceremony aboard the USS Missouri, an American battleship.

On behalf of Hirohito, the army chief and the foreign minister, dressed in a top hat and tails, signed. On the opposing side were delegates from China and other countries that had fought Japan, as well as U.S. General Douglas MacArthur.

The following day, September 3, was declared Victory Day in China.

The Communist Party intensified China’s commemoration of the occasion eleven years ago. On September 3, President Xi Jinping and all of China’s senior leaders attended a remembrance gathering. The increasing emphasis coincided with escalating tensions with Japan over divergent perspectives on the history of the war and an unresolved territorial issue in the East China Sea.

On the 70th anniversary of the war’s conclusion, China held a military parade the next year.

Ten years later, plans are in motion for another spectacular parade that will feature fighter planes, tanks, and missiles in the sky. Among those anticipated to attend is Russian President Vladimir Putin.