The ruling party – the Kuomintang (KMT) – on Sunday marked the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War by honoring 12 veterans. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Japanese defeat.
President Ma Ying-jeou spoke at Sunday’s event, saying that of all the wars in the history of the Republic of China, the eight-year Second Sino-Japanese War had the largest scope, the most casualties, and the biggest impact.
The Republic of China (ROC) is the official name of Taiwan’s government, which was inaugurated in China in 1912. It was later moved to Taiwan in the late 1940s, at the end of a Civil War in China.
In a speech on Sunday, President Ma spoke about the huge number of casualties. He said that more than 3.22 million Chinese soldiers were killed or injured, along with more than 20 million civilians.
He said that while those figures were much higher than they were for the Japanese army, the Chinese soldiers’ resilience paved the way for a victory. He said that history cannot forget that the ROC government led the nation to victory, and that the world will not forget the veterans’ contributions.