A themed flower bed commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is being constructed along the Chang’an Avenue in Beijing, on August 14, 2025. Photo: VCG
Japanese media outlet Kyodo News, citing “multiple diplomatic sources,” claimed on Sunday evening that the Japanese government has called on European and Asian countries through diplomatic channels not to attend the September 3rd commemorative activities and military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The reason given was that the events have “anti-Japanese overtones.”
As of press time, the Japanese government has not commented on related reports.
Commenting on the news, a Chinese expert analyzed Monday that Japanese media have a precedent of coordinating with the government by floating trial balloons. If this latest media leak proves accurate, it would indicate that Japan is not only psychologically denying the history of its war of aggression but is also attempting to translate this unscrupulous denial into concrete action.
If the report is true, another Chinese expert said that this stance is not only a misreading of China’s commemorative activities but also a rejection of the correct historical view of WWII and a regression from introspection.
China’s massive V-Day military parade, scheduled for September 3 in Tiananmen Square, is meant to signal that the country upholds peace and will firmly defend international fairness and justice, Wu Zeke, deputy director of the Office of the Leading Group for the Military Parade and a senior officer of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission, said on August 20 at a press conference, the Xinhua News Agency reported on the same day.
Kyodo News on Monday claimed that, according to the sources, Japan conveyed to other nations through its embassies abroad that China’s commemorative events have “anti-Japanese overtones,” and that the participation of leaders should be carefully considered.
Chinese authorities have not responded to the issue as of press time.
If this latest media leak proves to be the case, the move exposed absurd and narrow-minded mentality of Japan, Zhou Yongsheng, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Monday.
The claim by the Japanese side which accused the event carries “anti-Japanese overtones” is entirely unreasonable, Zhou emphasized.
“Our victory in the war was achieved by defeating Japanese aggressors — it has nothing to do with what they now label as “anti-Japanese” sentiment,” Zhou said. The expert added that, historically, resisting Japanese aggressors was about defending our homeland and protecting our country, which was entirely legitimate, born of tremendous sacrifice, and demonstrated the Chinese people’s courage and determination to fight against aggression and brutality.
Lu Hao, a research fellow at the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday that the war of aggression launched by Japan and the spread of fascism brought historical calamities to the world, particularly to the peoples of Asian countries. “This represents a widely accepted historical conclusion that allows no distortion,” Lu stated.
Wu Zeke, said at August 20 press conference that China was the first to fight against fascist aggression and sustained the longest resistance. With huge national sacrifice, the Chinese people held ground in the main theater in the East of the World Anti-Fascist War, Xinhua reported.
China tied down and fought the bulk of Japanese forces, wiping out more than 1.5 million enemy troops in the war, Wu said, highlighting that China had made a major contribution to the triumph of the World Anti-Fascist War.
In 1945, after 14 years of resistance, China achieved victory at a tremendous cost of 35 million military and civilian casualties, accounting for one-third of the total casualties suffered by all countries in World War II, Xinhua reported.
Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945, signing the Instrument of Surrender to China and other Allied powers. China celebrated the victory the following day. In 2014, the country legislated to designate September 3 as Victory Day of its War of Resistance, according to Xinhua.
Regression of historical understanding
However, in recent times, Japan has consistently avoided addressing the historical truth, while deliberately exaggerating the so-called “anti-Japanese sentiment” in China.
On July 23, the Embassy of Japan in China posted a notice on its official website stating that from July to September this summer, various events and activities related to the history between China and Japan will be held across China, including the screening of films and television dramas about the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, military parades, and other commemorations. “Therefore, it is necessary to exercise particular caution regarding the possible rise of anti-Japanese sentiment,” the embassy claimed.
Kyodo News also claimed that this year, with the release of films in China focusing on the Nanjing Massacre, the atmosphere is such that anti-Japanese sentiments could easily be intensified.
In Japan, several war-themed films have also been released or re-released this summer, which, however, focus on portraying Japan as a “victim” suffering “hardships” during the war, while rarely addressing Japan’s historical crimes of aggression that caused huge suffering in various Asian countries.
Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday that the latest Japanese media’s claim, if proved true, which accused the event carries “anti-Japanese overtones,” is regression on history understanding and introspection amid growing right-leaning tendencies and historical revisionism in Japanese society.
According to Da, significant changes have been taking place in Japanese society regarding perceptions of WWII history and historical awareness, particularly following the July 20 House of Councillors election. Parties such as the nationalist Sanseito party saw a substantial increase in seats, indicating that the Japanese politics are shifting towards more conservative.
“Against this backdrop, official, industrial, and academic circles in Japan exhibit ambiguous or distorted historical understanding. This is highly dangerous,” Da said. “Whether Japan will continue on a path of peaceful development or risk repeating past mistakes is a matter of grave concern not only for Japan itself but also for Asian nations that suffered under its past invasion,” the expert warned.
“Only by remembering history and following the path it has paved can we steadfastly advance toward the future,” Zhou Yongsheng emphasized.
Lu Hao pointed out that after WWII, Japan has engaged in a certain degree of reflection on its war of aggression, yet such reflection — whether at the official or civil level — has been significantly limited.
On August 15, which marks the 80th anniversary of Japan’s unconditional surrender in WWII, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sent a ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine on Friday, “a move apparently aimed at appeasing his party’s conservative support base,” Kyodo News reported.
Also at Japan’s national memorial ceremony on the same day, Ishiba said Japan would “keep in mind” its “remorse” over WWII as it continues its pursuit of peace 80 years since its surrender, becoming the first premier in over a decade to use the term at the event, Japan’s Kyodo News reported.
However, Chinese experts noted that Ishiba’s administration broke with precedent by not issuing an official statement marking the 80th anniversary, instead intending to release his personal views, while some cabinet members visited the notorious Yasukuni Shrine – moves seen as reflecting strong resistance from right-wing conservative forces in Japan.
Lu said that the limitations of Japan’s reflection on its history of aggression, along with its growing historical revisionism, continue to hurt the feelings of people in victimized nations and undermine political mutual trust in China-Japan relations.
Yokichi Kobayashi, vice president and chief secretary of the Japanese association of China’s Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, told the Global Times on Monday that China’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was a vital part of the world’s anti-fascist war. By commemorating the victory in the war, China aims to remind people not to forget history and to cherish peace.
His father Kiyoshi Kobayashi was once a soldier in the Japanese army that invaded China. After being captured by the Eighth Route Army, he was sent to Yan’an for study and eventually joined the anti-war effort, fighting alongside Chinese soldiers. Yokichi Kobayashi told the Global Times that his father once reflected during his lifetime, “As a Japanese, I ultimately chose to join China’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression because I came to recognize the unjust nature of the war of aggression launched by Japan.”
As a member of a Japanese delegation of descendants of the Eighth Route Army, Yokichi Kobayashi told the Global Times that he would travel to China in September to attend commemorative activities. “In 2005 and 2015, I was invited as a family member of veterans to participate in the 60th and 70th anniversary commemorations.” He said, “Having the honor to participate in these events three times is the pride and glory of my life.”
He emphasized that today, more than ever, Japan needs to learn lessons from history. A nation’s capacity for self-reflection is more important than another nation’s forgiveness. Only a country that courageously reflects on its past can truly earn the respect of the world.
Today, the banners lining Beijing’s Chang’an Street carry the message: “Remember History and Cherish Peace.” This is a phrase deeply familiar to the Chinese people and a reminder to those in Japan who seek to deny history.
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