By Anadolu staff
ANKARA (AA) - Japan asked European and Asian countries to refrain from attending a military parade and other events that China will hold next month to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Kyodo News reported on Sunday, citing diplomatic sources.
The parade is slated to be held at Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3.
Japan seeks to prevent China's interpretation of history from spreading what Beijing calls its victory in the 1937-1945 "War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression" and the "World Anti-Fascist War."
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, according to the sources.
Before the commemorative events, China plans to host a two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit through Sept. 1 in Tianjin near Beijing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to attend the summit and then the war anniversary events.
The parade will not only showcase traditional main battle forces, but also feature new domains and new "quality forces," including unmanned intelligence, underwater warfare, network and electronic attack and defense, and hypersonic warfare weapons.
Xi will review the troops during the parade and deliver a speech at the gathering.
Last November, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to foster "mutually beneficial" and "stable" relations when they held their first in-person talks in Peru.
*Writing by Aamir Latif