Veterans gather as Taiwan marks Japan’s WWII defeat

HSINCHU, Taiwan: War veterans gathered on Saturday for Taiwan’s first military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Japan in World War II, as the island vies with China over the history of the conflict.
Jet fighters and attack helicopters were among aircraft that flew past in formation as President Ma Ying-jeou spoke to the thousands gathered in the northern Hsinchu county on the nationalist Kuomintang government’s role in the conflict.
The crowd applauded as jeeps carrying more than 20 veterans, displaying victory signs, paraded alongside trucks carrying ground troops and missiles, as well as tanks.
“There was only one truth: the war battling Japan was mostly conducted by the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official title), thanks to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek,” Ma said.
“This must not be distorted and tampered. We do not want to boast about the victory, but rather we want to prevent war... Only in this way can we learn the lesson from history.”
Japan invaded China in 1937 and the two countries fought a full-scale war until Japan was defeated in 1945, during which 3.2 million Kuomintang soldiers died, according to Taiwanese government figures.
The country’s first parade to commemorate the defeat of Japan comes as Taiwan’s ruling Kuomintang party fears Beijing is trying to give full credit for the victory to Mao Zedong’s communist forces.