https://www.scmp.com/rss/320524/feed On September 3, 2015, China hosted a massive military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of Tokyo's defeat in the second world war, as well as the broader defeat of the Axis powers led at the time by Germany. Tokyo's wartime record is a sensitive issue for Asian neighbours, which have been seeking contrition for past aggression - some of which Japan has disputed or denied. Japan occupied parts of China from the 1930s until the end of the second world war, and Beijing says millions died as... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com They have been accused of being traitors, found guilty of defamation by courts, threatened online countless times and even assaulted in the street, but a group of South Korean activists and academics refuse to give in to the mainstream belief in their homeland on the issue of “comfort women”. The group’s position runs contrary to the United Nations Special Rapporteur’s 1996 report on violence against women. In that, Radhika Coomaraswamy defined the comfort women system as sexual slavery and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3182991/why-south-korean-fringe-group-backing-japans-position-wwii-comfort-women?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3182991/why-south-korean-fringe-group-backing-japans-position-wwii-comfort-women?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Jun 2022 06:00:23 +0000 Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is caught between a rock and a hard place on a proposal to register a former gold mine on the island of Sado as a cultural Unesco World Heritage site, with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe now adding his political weight to the fray. The site was selected in December as a candidate for the listing by Japan’s agency for cultural affairs, but the announcement was immediately condemned by the South Korean government. Seoul has demanded that Tokyo withdraw the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3164222/will-japans-pm-kishida-be-man-midas-touch-unesco-gold-mine-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3164222/will-japans-pm-kishida-be-man-midas-touch-unesco-gold-mine-row?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jan 2022 06:30:25 +0000 When Sydengham Duer left his family’s house in Yokohama, Japan, for university on the morning of December 8, 1941, he had no idea it would be the last time he would see his home for nearly four years. Before the day was out, Duer – better known as Syd – and his businessman father, William, had been arrested by Japanese police because they were registered as British nationals, and the Japanese attack on the US fleet at Pearl Harbour and advances against British forces in Malaya had made them... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3106865/brutality-and-hardships-japanese-internment-camp-brought-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3106865/brutality-and-hardships-japanese-internment-camp-brought-life?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Oct 2020 02:00:18 +0000 It has been 75 years since Japan’s surrender brought the second world war to an end, but researchers are only now piecing together the story of 11 Chinese men who were arrested in 1944 and 1945 by police in Osaka, accused of being spies and tortured. Six subsequently died. The police destroyed all documents connected to the case when it became apparent that Japan had lost the war, and the Chinese community who survived the devastating air raids on Japan’s second-largest metropolis largely kept... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3100376/mystery-11-chinese-tortured-japan-unearthed-forgotten-wwii?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3100376/mystery-11-chinese-tortured-japan-unearthed-forgotten-wwii?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Sep 2020 00:00:14 +0000 Japan made an explicit claim to ownership of a group of Russian-held islands off Hokkaido in an annual foreign policy report released on Tuesday, after refraining from doing so last year amid hopes of breaking a deadlock in the territorial dispute. The disagreement has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty even 75 years after the end of the second world war. The islands at the centre of a territorial dispute between Russia and Japan In the 2020 edition of its Diplomatic... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3084986/japan-renews-claim-russia-held-kuril-islands-foreign-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3084986/japan-renews-claim-russia-held-kuril-islands-foreign-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 May 2020 05:00:12 +0000 Growing up in Ontario during the 1950s, Mike Babin occasionally heard his father Alfred talk about serving during World War Two. But it was not until his 20s that he learned the full extent of his dad’s involvement as a member of the Royal Rifles of Canada, a regiment that fought during the ill-fated Battle of Hong Kong, when the city’s British colonial rulers were forced to surrender to Japan. Across Canada many residents observe Remembrance Day each year on November 11, but few know the story... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3036998/nirvana-starvation-story-canadians-who-defended-wartime-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3036998/nirvana-starvation-story-canadians-who-defended-wartime-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Nov 2019 23:00:06 +0000 He has bestridden the silver screen for 65 years, but Godzilla is showing no sign of slowing down or curbing his enthusiasm for wreaking havoc on the world and his equally monstrous enemies. The giant lizard-like creature that first stomped out of the Pacific Ocean in 1954 celebrates the 65th anniversary of his big screen debut on Sunday. This milestone comes as his latest movie – Godzilla: King of the Monsters – racks up US$385 million in global box office takings following its release in late... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3036005/godzilla-65-still-wreaking-havoc-now-reminder-japans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3036005/godzilla-65-still-wreaking-havoc-now-reminder-japans?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Nov 2019 01:45:11 +0000 A right-wing member of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Thursday, becoming the first minister in more than two years to pay respects to Japan’s war dead at the controversial place of remembrance. The visit, along with a ritual gift on behalf of Abe, drew a quick reaction from neighbouring countries, which view the shrine as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism. Seiichi Eto was the first cabinet minister to visit Yasukuni since April 2017. He oversees... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3033382/japanese-minister-becomes-first-two-years-visit-tokyos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3033382/japanese-minister-becomes-first-two-years-visit-tokyos?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Oct 2019 08:42:13 +0000 Thousands of South Koreans have flocked to Japan in recent years to escape a lacklustre labour market at home, but as ties between the two neighbours come under strain, some are now thinking twice. Recruiters say Koreans are giving Japan the cold shoulder and Japanese companies are staying away from Korean job fairs, as Seoul and Tokyo remain at loggerheads over trade and historical disputes. The twice-yearly Seoul Career Vision job fair this autumn has been postponed from September to November... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3030430/patriotism-vs-pay-packet-japan-south-korea-tensions-test-migrant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3030430/patriotism-vs-pay-packet-japan-south-korea-tensions-test-migrant?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Sep 2019 23:00:10 +0000 In a hamlet deep in the mountains of Kyoto Prefecture, Keiko Ziak’s uncle took a phone call in 2007 that shook her family’s world. The speaker identified himself as a bureaucrat at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Tokyo and asked if he recognised a name. Ziak’s uncle was stunned. It was a name he had not heard uttered in decades. It was his father’s name. “My uncle was an infant when his father went off to war and he and my mother have no memories of him,” Ziak recalled. “My... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2128059/flags-our-fathers-japanese-couples-incredible-story?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2128059/flags-our-fathers-japanese-couples-incredible-story?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jan 2018 12:15:45 +0000 Japanese researchers have confirmed the identities of 24 submarines scuttled off southern Japan by occupying US forces soon after the end of the second world war. They include the I-58 and I-402, two of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s most storied vessels. The precise locations of the 24 submarines were confirmed in May by a private group based in Kyushu called The Society La Plongee for Deep Sea Technology, which also said it hopes to raise some of the vessels in the future. On Thursday, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2110349/japan-identifies-submarines-seized-and-sunk-us-after-second?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2110349/japan-identifies-submarines-seized-and-sunk-us-after-second?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Sep 2017 08:09:19 +0000 It is politically unrealistic for the mainland and Taiwan to jointly write an official history of their resistance against Japanese invasion, three academics said at a forum to mark the 70th anniversary of China's liberation from Japan during the second world war. The event, titled "Going Back to History", was organised by the Hong Kong China Economic Development Association. Held at the University of Hong Kong on Tuesday, the forum drew an audience of more than 200, which included many... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1864754/cultural-exchange-could-unite-mainland-china-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1864754/cultural-exchange-could-unite-mainland-china-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2015 23:00:45 +0000 A Chinese air force colonel was so proud to be in last week’s military parade in Beijing, marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war, that he took a short detour back to base – leading his team of 10 armed helicopters in a fly-past over his hometown, mainland media reports. Xu Desheng, who flew at the front of the formation of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s battle helicopters during the huge parade, chose a route that took them over the city of his birth, Xiantao,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1857190/proud-chinese-air-force-colonel-takes-military-parades-battle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1857190/proud-chinese-air-force-colonel-takes-military-parades-battle?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Sep 2015 04:15:30 +0000 China’s military parade last week was a show of force but also something of a “bikini show,” revealing much of China’s new military might and hardware while leaving the most sensitive parts concealed, according to military experts in the country. The parade in Beijing last Thursday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of world war two saw many weapons put on show, even as President Xi Jinping vowed to cut the size of the nation’s armed forces by 300,000 troops. READ MORE: The 12... https://www.scmp.com/tech/china-tech/article/1855261/beijing-military-parade-bikini-show-chinas-new-technology-most?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/china-tech/article/1855261/beijing-military-parade-bikini-show-chinas-new-technology-most?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Sep 2015 00:00:15 +0000 A Chinese veteran who was spirited away to Japan as a forced labourer to work at Mitsubishi during the Pacific war has come to Hong Kong to tell his story, after he refused the Japanese conglomerate's offer of a "reconciliation agreement". Liu Shili, 89, from Tangshan, Hebei province, was part of a group of victims that declined to accept the company's payment of 100,000 yuan (HK$121,700) per person. The payment is part of the company's plan to apologise to prisoners of war from the US, Britain,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1855633/what-reconciliation-second-world-war-veteran-refuses-japanese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1855633/what-reconciliation-second-world-war-veteran-refuses-japanese?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Sep 2015 20:45:30 +0000 Chinese social media erupted in mockery and jokes - amid the praise and applause - during China's military parade on Thursday, marking 70 years since the end of the second world war. Internet users found plenty to talk about, from former president Jiang Zemin's hands to Mao Zedong's rotund grandson looking deflated from the heat - even if much of the chatter was eventually blocked by the internet police. Deletions of posts on Weibo - the Twitter-like service massively popular in China - picked... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1855254/jiang-zemin-has-how-many-fingers-twitter-jokes-and-censored-weibo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1855254/jiang-zemin-has-how-many-fingers-twitter-jokes-and-censored-weibo?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Sep 2015 10:30:45 +0000 Beijing woke up to all-too-familiar grey smog on Friday morning after enjoying two weeks of precious blue skies leading up to yesterday’s huge military parade in the capital. The air quality index measured by the US Embassy in Beijing stood at 158 at 11 am today, classified as “unhealthy”. This was in sharp contrast to yesterday’s reading of 17, meaning good air quality, during the second world war anniversary parade. The blazing sun yesterday also gave way to blanketing, gloomy clouds on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1855250/fifty-shades-grey-smog-returns-beijing-after-clean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1855250/fifty-shades-grey-smog-returns-beijing-after-clean?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Sep 2015 07:30:00 +0000 China’s flag carrier airline launched its first in-flight live television broadcast on Thursday by streaming pictures showing Beijing’s huge military parade that marked the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war, mainland media reports. The eyes of millions of Chinese people were glued to their home television screens as they watched the event featuring up to 12,000 servicemen and women, as well as many tanks, missile launchers and helicopters. However, passengers aboard an Air... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1855232/air-china-launches-live-flight-tv-broadcasts-streaming-beijings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1855232/air-china-launches-live-flight-tv-broadcasts-streaming-beijings?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Sep 2015 07:06:41 +0000 All of China’s military units have pledged their support for President Xi Jinping’s announcement that troop numbers will be cut by 300,000 by the end of 2017, the mainland’s military newspaper says. The PLA Daily published a commentary on Friday combining pledges from the heads of the army’s four headquarters, seven key land troops’ military area commands, air force, navy, the strategic missile force, paramilitary police, military academies and grass-roots officers. All of them said they... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1855228/all-chinas-military-units-publicly-back-president-xi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1855228/all-chinas-military-units-publicly-back-president-xi?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Sep 2015 06:00:45 +0000 Lien Chan, the former chairman of the governing party the Kuomintang in Taiwan, has faced more protests and criticism after he attended the huge military parade in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war. Protestors threw shoes at members of his entourage as they arrived at Taoyuan airport in Taiwan late on Thursday after attending the event yesterday, the Central News Agency reported. Lien and his wife had already left the airport. Demonstrators also gathered... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1855214/senior-taiwan-politician-faces-more-protests-criticism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1855214/senior-taiwan-politician-faces-more-protests-criticism?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Sep 2015 04:30:00 +0000 TAIWAN Official: Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, through spokesman Charles Chen Quote: Chen said that Ma felt "distressed" and "regretful" that a "certain individual" attended the parade, voicing disapproval of former Vice-President Lien Chan's participation. "It deviates from the government's position and people's expectations," Chen said, quoting Ma. AP JAPAN Official: Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga Quote: It is "extremely regrettable" that Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1855162/taiwan-united-states-how-world-covered-beijings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1855162/taiwan-united-states-how-world-covered-beijings?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 19:45:45 +0000 The impressive military parade that was the centrepiece of events in Beijing yesterday marking the 70th anniversary of Japan's second world war defeat was replete with meaning. President Xi Jinping's announcement shortly before it began of a 300,000 cut in troop strength and a pledge of China's peaceful development sent a conflicting message to some observers. To them, the technologically advanced hardware on show spoke more of sabre-rattling than friendship. But that belies the mission of the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1855092/peace-and-stability-can-only-be-guaranteed-through-strong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1855092/peace-and-stability-can-only-be-guaranteed-through-strong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 18:03:20 +0000 President Xi Jinping said on Thursday he would cut military personnel by 300,000 – twice the size of the British armed forces – by 2017, shortly before presiding over an unprecedented parade laden with symbolism and messages. The parade to commemorate China’s victory against Japanese aggression in the second world war was groundbreaking in many ways. It was the first parade China had held for a war anniversary and the first with foreign participation. It was also the first time Xi had reviewed... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1855177/awe-and-peace-world-witnesses-massive-display-military?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1855177/awe-and-peace-world-witnesses-massive-display-military?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 16:30:45 +0000 Generals marching ahead of their troops on Thursday - a departure from previous practice at China's military parades - demonstrated President Xi Jinping's resolve to rejuvenate an army plagued by corruption and complacency. At previous parades, the top brass always viewed the displays from a comfortable distance, but at yesterday's ceremony to mark the 70th year since the end of the second world war, 50 generals joined the 12,000 troops in 50 formations for an inspection by Xi, who is also head... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1855151/china-demonstrates-its-military-might-war-parade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1855151/china-demonstrates-its-military-might-war-parade?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 15:30:15 +0000 China pledged to be a guarantor of postwar peace and order and downsize its armed forces during Thursday’s grand parade – downplaying concerns over how Beijing will apply its military muscle when it is knocking horns with its neighbours over territorial and historical disputes. However, diplomatic observers and analysts said that by showcasing some of its most advanced weapons during the parade, China was staking its claim to leadership of Asia. In the interests of peace, we need to foster a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1855023/xi-jinping-says-china-will-be-guarantor-world-peace-he?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1855023/xi-jinping-says-china-will-be-guarantor-world-peace-he?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 09:30:45 +0000 A 300,000 troop reduction announced by President Xi Jinping on Thursday would be basically completed by the end of 2017 and further reforms of the world’s largest armed forces were on the way, the Defence Ministry said. Xi made the surprise announcement at the opening of a military parade marking 70 years since the end of the second world war. The cut represents a little more than a tenth of the military’s 2.3 million strong forces. The reduction would make the People’s Liberation Army more... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1855020/china-says-troop-cuts-will-happen-2017-and-further?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1855020/china-says-troop-cuts-will-happen-2017-and-further?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 09:00:45 +0000 From traffic-restriction controls to security checkpoints, the preparations for the display have been a major hassle for many Beijing residents. Businesses around downtown were forced to either shut, or saw most customers stay away due to commuting difficulties. But after Thursday’s spectacle, it all seemed worth it. Here’s what some thought:  Liu Changhu, 26, security guard - 'Who wanted to watch planes?'  I didn’t watch the military parade because I was on duty. My responsibility was to guard... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854979/all-frustrations-leading-parade-were-worth-it-what?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854979/all-frustrations-leading-parade-were-worth-it-what?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 08:15:00 +0000 On land and in the air, China revealed to the world many of its cutting-edge weapons at Thursday’s military parade, which marked the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war, but some of its most advanced weaponry was missing. Among the equipment on display, military weaponry enthusiasts might have been surprised to see the Dongfeng (or DF, meaning "East wind") series of ballistic missiles, plus a huge number of advanced aircraft and drones – some of which have gone into service only... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854915/12-weaponry-hits-and-misses-chinas-historic-military?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854915/12-weaponry-hits-and-misses-chinas-historic-military?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 08:00:30 +0000 Japan said on Thursday it was “disappointed” there were no signs of rapprochement in President Xi Jinping’s speech to mark the 70th anniversary of Tokyo’s defeat in the second world war, as Beijing showed off its growing might with a huge military parade. “Tokyo had requested that Beijing make sure that the event was not so anti-Japanese, but instead contain elements of rapprochement between Japan and China,” top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters. “It was disappointing that such... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1854983/was-then-now-japan-says-china-should-not-focus-so-much?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1854983/was-then-now-japan-says-china-should-not-focus-so-much?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 08:00:30 +0000 The parade on Thursday means more than commemorating a victory 70 years ago. It also carries important signals the leadership wants to send domestically, the most of important of which, analysts believe, is a showcase of unity at a time when the capability and loyalty of the military to the Communist Party is being questioned.  The People’s Liberation Army has been shaken by investigations into several of its top brass, including Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, who previously served as vice-chairman... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854874/im-you-xi-heart-chinas-massive-war-parade-plas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854874/im-you-xi-heart-chinas-massive-war-parade-plas?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 07:30:15 +0000 A mobile symbol of China’s revolutionary past roared back to life on Thursday when President Xi Jinping rode into downtown Beijing in a Chinese-built Red Flag luxury sedan to inspect troops. The Red Flag, or Hongqi, line of limousines harks back to the late 1950s when the first one rolled off the production line of local carmaker First Automobile Works (FAW) with the help of Soviet expertise and technology. The designers modelled the original vehicles on a Chrysler limousine, directly... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854968/flying-red-flag-chinas-hongqi-wheeled-out-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854968/flying-red-flag-chinas-hongqi-wheeled-out-president?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 07:15:30 +0000 Three presidents, past and present, lined up for the first time on the Tiananmen rostrum as the military parade rolled past yesterday morning. With the help of an assistant, former president Jiang Zemin , 89, made his way slowly up the stairs to the balcony. His successor, Hu Jintao , 72, walked unaided but his left hand had a persistent tremble as he stood with his successor President Xi Jinping . Three former premiers - Li Peng , Zhu Rongji and Wen Jiabao - turned out, as did former... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854947/old-and-new-guard-three-chinese-presidents-line-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854947/old-and-new-guard-three-chinese-presidents-line-first?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 05:30:45 +0000 The following is the full text of the keynote speech given by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the military parade marking seven decades since the end of the second world war. Japan signed the document confirming its surrender on September 2, 1945, and China celebrated the next day. Last year, China's top legislature declared September 3 "Victory Day". READ MORE: Xi Jinping's war parade message to troops minutes after announcing cuts of 300,000 military personnel China calls the event the "70th... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854943/full-text-xi-jinping-military-parade-speech-vows-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854943/full-text-xi-jinping-military-parade-speech-vows-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 05:30:15 +0000 China’s first lady Peng Liyuan, in an eye-catching red lace dress and white pearl necklace, stood smiling beside her husband, President Xi Jinping, at Beijing’s Gate of Heavenly Peace as they welcomed foreign guests on Thursday. Peng, who has been hailed as a fashion icon by the general public, certainly stood out from the crowd of black-suited dignitaries that attended China’s military parade which marked the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war. Chinese netizens heaped praise on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854935/woman-red-chinas-first-lady-peng-liyuan-stands-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854935/woman-red-chinas-first-lady-peng-liyuan-stands-out?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 05:30:00 +0000 As Beijing prepared for a military parade on Thursday to mark the 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in the second world war, Hong Kong commemorated the date which saw the occupation of the city lifted with its own ceremony. As the event began, light rain stopped and sunlight bathed the crowd of about 700 dignitaries, school children and veterans who had come to pay their respects to those who died fighting in the war. Acting chief executive John Tsang Chun-wah attended the event, along with... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1854901/hong-kong-marks-70th-anniversary-japans-surrender?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1854901/hong-kong-marks-70th-anniversary-japans-surrender?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 01:45:00 +0000 Click to view the full-size infographic in high resolution. https://www.scmp.com/infographics/article/1854896/infographic-chinas-war-resistance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/infographics/article/1854896/infographic-chinas-war-resistance?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 00:45:00 +0000 Fuelled by booming defence spending, the People’s Liberation Army is expected to today showcase breakthroughs in missile technology and military aircraft that reflect its increasing focus on projecting force beyond its borders, especially adjacent seas where it competes with neighbours for territory and resources. Here are 10 military hardware pieces that analysts and other nation’s defence experts will likely be watching out for. SECOND ARTILLERY CORPS 1) DF-26 missile The intermediate-range... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1854800/10-most-anticipated-weapons-military-parade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1854800/10-most-anticipated-weapons-military-parade?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2015 22:30:45 +0000 Captain 'Winkie' Ho Weng Toh Captain 'Winkie' Ho Weng Toh, 95, went from being a student in Hong Kong to a bomber pilot with the famous Flying Tigers in China "The intel was clear. There were Japanese cavalry near Nanyang in central Henan province. My mission was to search and destroy. I was excited. But I had to make sure I could get there and find the Japanese. Thank goodness, I succeeded. I saw the cavalry, the horse, up by the river. Hallelujah, target was found! Now, I had to deliver. I... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854885/remembering-lessons-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854885/remembering-lessons-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2015 19:30:45 +0000 President Xi Jinping today revealed he would cut the size of China's military personnel by a staggering 300,000 - twice the size of the British Army - as he lauded his country’s position as a major world power during a massive mililtary parade marking the 70th anniversary of victory over Japan. The South China Morning Post reported yesterday that China was planning on massive reform and downsizing of the People's Liberation Army - the world's largest army which currently has 2.3 million troops,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854844/we-chinese-love-peace-xi-jinpings-war-parade-message?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854844/we-chinese-love-peace-xi-jinpings-war-parade-message?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2015 18:45:45 +0000 China suffered terrible losses - more than any other country - at the hands of imperial Japan. It is understandable that today, 70 years after the second world war, the nation marks on a grand scale the Japanese surrender. The ceremony and military parade on Tiananmen Square are about commemorating the sacrifice and heroism of the Chinese people and their contribution to the overall war effort. With China being the main eastern war front, they had a vital role in bringing hostilities to an... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1854782/commemorating-chinas-sacrifice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1854782/commemorating-chinas-sacrifice?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2015 17:15:07 +0000 A Hong Kong delegation led by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying flew to Beijing on Wednesday for the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender in the second world war. Tycoons, academics, pan-democrats, anti-Occupy activists and media representatives were among the diverse range of Hongkongers on the guest list. Among the 287-strong Hong Kong delegation were Richard Li Tzar-kai, son of the city's richest man Li Ka-shing, Sun Hung Kai Properties chairman Raymond Kwok... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1854867/hong-kong-delegation-heads-beijing-china-marks-70th?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1854867/hong-kong-delegation-heads-beijing-china-marks-70th?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2015 16:00:00 +0000 China’s People’s Liberation Army showed off new uniforms in a parade rehearsal for Thursday’s big day. The army has come a long way since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949 when troops were barely able to scrape together a matching kit. Since then, the Central Military Commission has made four major uniform changes, along with new outfits especially for important parades. Here’s a look at how the styles have changed.   October 1, 1955 6th anniversary of People’s Republic of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1854717/it-took-decades-pla-finally-emerges-victorious-style?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1854717/it-took-decades-pla-finally-emerges-victorious-style?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2015 10:29:34 +0000 China’s popular first lady Peng Liyuan further raised her public profile today when she became the first Chinese presidential spouse to attend a massive military parade alongside her husband on the Tiananmen rostrum today. President Xi Jinping and his first lady, who wore a striking red dress and heels, greeted all foreign guests at an area north of Tiananmen Square around 9am.  After a group photo, the couple led the guests to Tiananmen Square to await the start of the parade. Since the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854719/first-lady-indeed-peng-liyuan-chinas-first-presidential?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854719/first-lady-indeed-peng-liyuan-chinas-first-presidential?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2015 09:15:30 +0000 China and South Korea agreed on Wednesday to resume a trilateral summit in Japan as early as late October, following a three-year suspension. President Xi Jinping  and his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye reached the agreement when they met for talks in Beijing ahead of the military parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war. The foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea agreed in March to hold the summit as early as possible. The summit has been... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1854687/south-korean-leaders-points-shared-past-hardships?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1854687/south-korean-leaders-points-shared-past-hardships?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2015 08:15:00 +0000 An ice cream chain in Shanghai is offering a lickable likeness of the head of executed Japanese war criminal Hideki Tojo to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war. Iceason parlours are selling ice cream bars on a stick with the image of Tojo, former Japanese army general and prime minister, in a campaign with the slogan “10,000 people together eat the Japanese war criminal”. An advertising poster displayed at one store in central Shanghai showed a chocolate Tojo, complete... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1854682/never-forget-national-humiliation-and-lick-mocha-tojo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1854682/never-forget-national-humiliation-and-lick-mocha-tojo?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2015 07:47:44 +0000 Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticised attempts in Europe and Asia to promote “distorted interpretations” of the history of the second world war. He said moves by some countries to “exonerate war criminals” were “an outrageous flouting” of the postwar Nuremburg and Tokyo tribunals to prosecute them. Putin – speaking to Russia’s Tass and China’s Xinhua news agencies before taking part in Thursday’s events in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of China’s victory in the war against Japan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1854643/putin-says-moves-exonerate-war-criminals-outrageously?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1854643/putin-says-moves-exonerate-war-criminals-outrageously?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2015 03:15:45 +0000 Central Beijing will turn into a ghost town from Wednesday night until Thursday afternoon. Large parts of the city centre will be shutting down, with many roads off-limits to traffic because of the huge military parade commemorating the end of the second world war.  “Don’t come to Beijing during this holiday,” the owner of a souvenir shop on Wangfujing's snack street said, referring to the one-off public holiday that Beijing is calling “The 70th anniversary of Chinese people’s anti-Japanese war... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1854544/central-beijing-turns-ghost-town-shops-and-hotels-shut?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1854544/central-beijing-turns-ghost-town-shops-and-hotels-shut?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Sep 2015 23:00:15 +0000 Former Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, tycoons, moderate pan-democrats and anti-Occupy Central activists are among guests from the city invited to the military parade in Beijing on Thursday to mark 70 years since Japan’s surrender in the second world war. Tsang has avoided public events, such as the annual handover anniversary reception on July 1, since he was investigated in 2012 for allegedly accepting favours from tycoon friends while in office. But he raised eyebrows by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1854362/former-hong-kong-chief-executive-donald-tsang-steps-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1854362/former-hong-kong-chief-executive-donald-tsang-steps-out?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Sep 2015 05:30:00 +0000 Intellectuals must stand for truth and justice, said an architect whose collection of historical documents telling of the Chinese Nationalists’ role in fighting the Japanese during the second world war is exhibiting at a museum in Hong Kong. “Today we are dealing with more and more people who want to twist Chinese history,” said Taiwan-based architect Soong Shu-kong. “As intellectuals, we must maintain our conscience. Only slaves ignore the truth and kowtow to those in power.” The 53-year-old... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1854325/untold-stories-chinese-nationalists-fight-against?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1854325/untold-stories-chinese-nationalists-fight-against?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Sep 2015 01:45:00 +0000 Monkeys have been trained to clear the skies of the biggest threat to China’s air force at the moment – birds – as Beijing prepares for its massive military parade this week to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war. Pictures from July show military personnel instructing monkeys to dismantle the nests of birds on trees at an unspecified air force base used for parade training. Read more: 'Full body search' for 10,000 pigeons in Tiananmen Square The military base was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1853949/you-can-pay-them-peanuts-china-hires-monkeys-clear?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1853949/you-can-pay-them-peanuts-china-hires-monkeys-clear?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Aug 2015 23:00:15 +0000