The world around September 3

On September 3, the whole world now marks the end of the Second World War. However, this was not always the case. Russia and China have long considered September 2 as the end of the war. Moreover, Russia celebrates its main holiday – Victory Day on May 9. It should be noted that Moscow has the moral right to celebrate the Victory and the end of World War II on any day of the year, since it made the lion’s share of the contribution to the final victory over fascism.

World War II officially ended on September 2, 1945, when Japan officially signed the Act of its Unconditional Surrender. In many countries, Victory Day over Japan is set for September 2. However, China and Russia have recently indicated remarkable activity in this matter, changing this day to September 3.
As you know, Japan accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration of the country’s surrender on August 14, 1945. She notified the countries of the coalition about this. On August 15, in a radio speech, Emperor Akihito announced to the Japanese people the end of the war and the end of hostilities. However, the then Soviet Union, which declared war on Japan on August 9, continued military operations against it after August 15, and conducted them until September 4.
On September 2, in Tokyo Bay, on the deck of the American battleship Missouri, the Act of Japan’s Unconditional Surrender was officially signed. In America, this day is established as “Victory Day over Japan” (VJ Day).
In China, initially since 1946, September 3 was celebrated as the day of victory in the war of resistance to Japan. After the nationalist government of the Republic of China – the Kuomintang was defeated in the struggle against the Chinese Communist Party and fled to Taiwan, September 3 began to be celebrated there as the day of the armed forces.
When the People’s Republic of China was formed in 1949 under the leadership of the Communist Party in China, the day of victory in the Japanese War of Resistance was celebrated on 15 August. However, in 1951, the holiday was postponed to September 3. In preparation for the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, in 2014, China called September 3 the “Day of the victory of the Chinese people in the war of resistance to Japan.” The following year, 2015, this date was determined as “The Day of the Victory of the Chinese People in the War of Resistance to Japan, as well as the Day of the 70th Anniversary of Victory in the War against World Fascism.” Then, in connection with this day, a military parade was held in China for the first time. This was unusual in terms of the practice of official events in China, where military parades until then were held only on the day of the formation of the PRC (October 1). Apparently, in this way, China acted “toe-to-toe” with Russia, which in 2015 held a military parade in Moscow in honor of the 70th anniversary of the victory over Germany.
On September 3 of this year, Xi Jinping and representatives of the Chinese leadership took part in the ceremony of laying wreaths and flowers at the Beijing Memorial Museum of the War of the Chinese People against Japan in connection with the 75th anniversary of the victory and in honor of the fallen heroes.

And what about Russia? She transfers the Victory Day over Japan from September 2 to 3

In the Soviet Union and Russia, throughout the post-war period, the Day of Victory over Japan was celebrated on September 2. In 2010, by its official decree, the Russian government designated September 2 as the “Day of the end of World War II”. However, in April of this year, a new amendment to the Russian Constitution was adopted, which postponed the “Day of the end of World War II” to September 3. Many observers believe that the aspirations and messages of military veterans played a role in this.
However, the great misunderstanding among veterans, historians and citizens of the most affected countries is caused not by the official date of the end of the deadliest war in human history, but by the assessment of the contribution of various peoples. It’s no secret that the Soviet Union suffered the greatest losses. It’s no secret that Poland suffered the first massive losses. It’s no secret that the Nazis inflicted the greatest atrocities in the cities and villages of Ukraine. All this should be a subject of discussion and exclusion of any possible speculations “on the topic” … and not on September 2 or 3.