Official ceremonies were held in Beijing, the capital of China, to commemorate the 89th anniversary of the outbreak of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The event took place on the morning of Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at the Museum of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, located near the historic Lugu Bridge (Marco Polo Bridge). This bridge commemorates the attack by Japanese soldiers on Chinese troops at Lugu Bridge, outside the town of Wanping, an incident that marked the beginning of the Japanese invasion of China and the start of the Chinese nation’s resistance against the Japanese invaders. The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is historically known as the Second Sino-Japanese War, a 14-year struggle (from 1931 to 1945). Its initial outlines emerged following Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in 1931, and it transformed into a full-scale Chinese People’s Resistance War after the Lugu Bridge Incident (Marco Polo) on July 7, 1937, ending with a complete Chinese victory and Japan’s surrender in September 1945.
A key milestone in China’s popular resistance against Japanese aggression was the unification of the Chinese home front. This was achieved through the formation of a united front between the Chinese Communist Party (at the time) and the Nationalist forces (Kuomintang) in Taiwan. This united front aimed to halt Japanese incursions into China, while China waged a war of attrition and guerrilla warfare. The Chinese popular resistance employed hit-and-run tactics, sabotage campaigns, and the Hundred Regiment offensive to disrupt enemy supply lines. Furthermore, the Chinese popular resistance joined the Allied front against Japan in World War II. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Chinese resistance officially merged with the Allied forces, becoming the main eastern theater of operations against Japanese military fascism. The human cost of Chinese resistance was immense, marked by the sacrifices of the Chinese people. The confrontations resulted in over 35 million Chinese casualties, both dead and wounded, and the Chinese people faced numerous war crimes. They withstood the brutal atrocities of Japanese aggression, such as the Nanjing Massacre and the biological and germ warfare experiments conducted by the Japanese Unit 731. From this point, the Chinese People’s Resistance succeeded in crippling the enemy’s forces and depleting two-thirds of the Japanese ground forces, thus shattering Japan’s strategy of rapid conquest. The war officially ended on September 2, 1945, with Japan’s signing of the unconditional surrender document. China celebrates Victory Day of the War of Resistance annually on September 3rd. Regular official ceremonies are also held at the Museum of the War of Resistance of China in Beijing to commemorate the martyrs and warn new generations of the horrors of war.
The most notable feature of this year’s commemorations of the July 7th anniversary of the Japanese aggression was the widespread participation of all ethnic groups and nationalities in China. The ceremonies were presided over by Yin Li, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee. The event commenced with the playing of the Chinese national anthem, with the participation of more than 500 people. The ceremony included families of fallen soldiers, veteran officers, students, and members of the Chinese armed forces. It featured poetry recitations and patriotic songs performed by Chinese students, followed by the laying of flowers and a bow in tribute to the victims. The historical significance of the Lugu Bridge Incident, which occurred on July 7, 1937, when Japanese forces attacked the Chinese army outside Wanping, triggering the full-scale invasion and the beginning of the Chinese National Resistance, is underscored by the annual commemoration of this day. This date holds immense symbolic importance for China, especially as Chinese officials and experts emphasize the need to safeguard historical truth during the anniversary ceremonies. They warn against resurgent militarism and attempts to rewrite or falsify history books to favor Japan. During the 89th anniversary commemoration of the start of the People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chinese officials and experts stressed the importance of preserving historical truth. They emphasized the need to remember past atrocities and cautioned against the rise of Japanese militarism. The new developments and attempts by some parties to distort and alter history books to whitewash their aggressive record.
This commemoration, which coincides with the Lugu Bridge Incident on July 7th and is observed annually in China, included prominent political and academic messages. These messages were evident in the official ceremonies themselves, with the main event held in Beijing near Luugu Bridge. High-ranking officials, such as Yin Li, a member of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Beijing Party Committee, were in attendance. All participants adopted the slogan Combating Distortion. Lu Yaodong, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out that distorting and altering history books is a common tactic employed by right-wing forces in Japan to downplay their crimes, thus necessitating a warning against militarism. Chinese historians, such as Shi Guifang of Capital Normal University in Beijing, cautioned that recent Japanese moves to ease arms restrictions and interfere in regional affairs pose a serious threat to the post-World War II international order. This comes amidst growing calls from Chinese civil society for the Japanese government and politicians to respect the true history of China without distorting the facts. Especially given the criticism leveled by Japanese scholars and intellectuals, on the sidelines of the 89th anniversary of Japan’s aggression against China, of their government’s continued policy of ignoring history and portraying China as a virtual enemy, which jeopardizes bilateral relations.
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The 89th anniversary of Japan’s aggression against China (marked by the Marco Polo Bridge Incident on July 7, 1937) is an annual occasion that sees escalating warnings from both Chinese and Japanese historians regarding attempts to falsify history and Japan’s current military escalation against China over Taiwan. This is a point of agreement. Chinese historians have raised several points criticizing Japan’s current stance on China, including the falsification of China’s true history to favor Japan. Chinese experts, such as Shi Guifang, and other fair-minded Japanese intellectuals, assert that attempts to obscure the facts of war crimes in Japanese school curricula or through political statements by Japanese politicians and officials undermine the foundations of bilateral relations. This coincides with China’s firm rejection of the shift in Japan’s military doctrine from purely defensive to one of increased armament. The Chinese side believes that Tokyo’s efforts to loosen constitutional restrictions on arms exports and use threaten the international order established after the end of World War II. Furthermore, China rejects Japan’s creation of a virtual enemy, with Chinese academics criticizing Japan’s adoption of defense policies that classify China as a direct security threat to its interests and national security, thus exacerbating regional tensions instead of promoting peace in the region.
