China will hold events in Beijing on September 3 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, including a military parade. There are reports that Japan has called on Eurasian countries to avoid participating in these activities, sparking public discussion in China. The official newspaper of the Communist Party of China, People’s Daily, published a commentary stating that China is fully justified in commemorating the victory, and that Japan has no right to make irresponsible remarks.
In a sharp commentary published on Weibo on the 28th, People’s Daily wrote that the Japanese government has reportedly called on other countries through diplomatic channels not to attend China’s commemoration activities, and has stigmatized the event as being "overly focused on history" and "having strong anti-Japanese overtones." This is undoubtedly another emotional wound inflicted on the Chinese people and represents an open challenge to the post-war international order and historical justice.
“History is history, facts are facts—no one can change history and facts.”
The article stated that China’s commemoration of this history is both a tribute to the sacrifice of the martyrs and a commitment to world peace, as well as a defense of historical justice. Distorting this solemn ceremony as “anti-Japanese” exposes the psychological reality that Japanese right-wingers and certain politicians have yet to truly reflect on the history of aggression and have not completely cut ties with militarism.
The article also pointed out that during World War II, Japan’s acts of aggression inflicted tremendous suffering on many countries. In the post-war period, Japanese right-wingers and some politicians have systematically sought to cover up this history of aggression. Such covering-up and forgetting of the history of aggression is an open trampling on historical justice and a challenge to human conscience.
The article emphasized that China’s commemoration activities are not anti-Japanese, nor are they for the sake of revenge, but rather to ensure that the tragedies of history are not repeated and that the flame of peace is passed on from generation to generation. Japan should face up to and reflect on its history of aggression with honesty, make a clean break with militarism, adhere to the path of peaceful development, and earn the trust of the international community through concrete actions, instead of evading history on the one hand and obstructing others from remembering history on the other.