Japan and China commemorate World War II anniversary on different dates
Japan remembers the victims in a solemn ceremony on Aug. 15, the day then-Emperor Hirohito announced in a crackly radio message that the government had surrendered, while China showcases its military strength with a parade on Sept. 3, the day after the formal surrender on an American battleship in Tokyo Bay.
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Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
WP urges Government to engage widely, explore all solutions following National Day Rally 2025
SINGAPORE – The Workers' Party (WP) has urged the Government to engage widely and explore all policy suggestions in good faith, including previously untapped ones. In its response to the 2025 National Day Rally, the opposition party said Singapore should 'leave no stone unturned' in collective efforts to build a truly resilient nation for the future. The WP issued its statement following Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's Rally speech at ITE College Central on Aug 17, where he called for Singaporeans to unite to write the next chapter of the country's history and outlined new schemes to support workers and independent living for seniors, among others. PM Wong also spoke extensively about the challenges Singapore faces, including an unstable global economy and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) impacting jobs and businesses. The WP addressed some of the new initiatives, and added its suggestions and concerns. On government efforts to address economic concerns, WP said it agrees that Singapore's economy needs to 'keep up with the times'. Responding to a new scheme announced by PM Wong during the Rally where Community Development Councils will match workers with jobs near their homes, the WP said: 'We agree with the approach of improving job-matching efforts for Singaporeans, and ask that the relevant organisations accelerate the setting up of this programme with the economic uncertainty ahead.' It added that in the party's experience, many residents referred to NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute receive career counselling, but 'not the direct job-matching support they truly need'. 'The new approach reflects what many job seekers are looking for: not just advice, but real opportunities and connections to employers who are hiring,' it added. It urged the Government to also tackle 'present concerns surrounding businesses and employees', including rising rental costs, skills-related underemployment and 'slow rate of real income growth of 0.7 per cent per annum over the past five years'. The WP reiterated some proposals from its GE2025 manifesto. These included having JTC Corporation, which oversees industrial infrastructure, expand its market share to offer low-rent options for small and medium-sized enterprises, and for a statutory minimum wage to be established. The party also responded to PM Wong's announcement of a new government-funded traineeship scheme for graduates from the Institute of Technical Education, polytechnics and universities. PM Wong said the scheme will begin as a 'focused' one which can be scaled up if the economy worsens. The WP said it recognises the importance of helping young graduates and mid-career workers find their footing, but urged the Government to ensure the programme is designed with safeguards so that it is effective and fair. The party said: 'State-sponsored internships and apprenticeships must not be used by companies only as a source of cheaper, subsidised labour. 'There should be clear performance metrics and a transparent commitment from participating companies to consider trainees for full-time employment once the training period ends.' It is also essential that all trainees receive basic workplace protections, including paid sick leave and safe working conditions, it added. The party will advocate for fair, transparent and sustainable employment pathways, especially for younger Singaporeans and those navigating mid-career transitions, it added. On the impact of AI on schools and the economy, the WP said it agrees with the importance of preparing students for life, not just exams – which PM Wong said the Government is doing more of. The WP called for an increase in the number of allied educators, which can lead to a 'meaningful reduction in class sizes' so students receive the attention they need to develop essential soft skills such as empathy and adaptability. The opposition party also called on the Government to improve social safety nets in the light of the ongoing disruptions caused by AI adoption, and reiterated its call for Singapore to introduce redundancy insurance. The WP said it looks forward to championing these ideas and others in the 15th Parliament. The party will have 12 MPs in the House when Parliament reopens on Sept 5, its largest-ever contingent. Progress Singapore Party (PSP) chief Leong Mun Wai also released a statement following the Rally in which he welcomed immediate support for new graduates but raised concerns that these proposals 'risk being mere Band-Aid solutions that do not address our country's deeper structural issues'. PSP also said the new government-funded traineeships raise the question of whether tertiary education is adequately preparing young people for the workforce 'if graduates are increasingly expected to settle for traineeships instead of full-time jobs'. Singapore must confront some fundamental questions in the years ahead, and the PSP believes these are not questions the Government can answer alone, said Mr Leong. 'Ultimately, the National Day Rally provided some ideas, but many critical questions on key issues such as housing affordability and cost of living were left unanswered,' he said. 'The PSP will continue to push for more fundamental reform in these areas and provide alternative policy proposals.' Watch PM Wong's National Day Rally speech here: Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
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Hong Kong democrat Jimmy Lai given heart monitor for final stretch of marathon trial
By Jessie Pang and James Pomfret HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong pro-democracy businessman Jimmy Lai was provided with medication and a heart monitor for the start of his final submissions in a landmark national security trial, following health concerns over heart palpitations. Lai, 77, who founded the Apple Daily newspaper that was forced to close after a police raid and asset freeze in June 2021, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, and a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious material. Lai's lawyer Robert Pang told the court last Friday that Lai had some episodes where he felt that he was collapsing and had heart "palpitations", prompting the court to adjourn proceedings and order that he be provided with a heart monitor and medication. Prosecutor Anthony Chau confirmed that Lai had been provided with these items on Friday and that he was now fit for court. Lai, noticeably thinner than when the trial began in late 2023, was dressed in a white jacket in the glass dock and pressed his palms together in a prayer gesture several times to his family and supporters. One of the judges, Esther Toh, said additional breaks could be provided for Lai if need be, while also acknowledging the opinion of a medical expert who examined Lai that he was "physically and mentally fit for court." "I'm worried for him. He's already in his 70s and has diabetes, and now palpitations," said Lucille, a supporter who queued for hours to get into the packed courtroom. Lai, a British citizen, has been held in solitary confinement for around 1,700 days. His son and some rights groups have expressed fear over his deteriorating health. Some Western governments have called for Lai's immediate release and raised concerns about the erosion of fundamental rights in the financial hub under China-imposed national security laws. Hong Kong and Chinese authorities have said Lai is being given a fair trial and have warned against such interference in the city's internal affairs. U.S. President Donald Trump said in a media interview last week that he would "do everything I can to save him." An Australian foreign affairs spokesperson told Reuters on Monday that Canberra was "deeply concerned by Hong Kong's widespread application of national security laws to repress civil society and prosecute pro-democracy advocates ... such as Jimmy Lai". Solve the daily Crossword
Epoch Times
2 hours ago
- Epoch Times
Taiwan Calls on Its People to Reject CCP's Distortion of WWII, Anniversary Events
Taiwan has denounced the Chinese communist regime for using this year's anniversary to push its false claim that it was the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that led the fighting against Japan's invasion during World War II, rather than the Republic of China government, which at the time ruled China. Aug. 15 marked the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII in Asia, known as Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day), as Japan announced its surrender on that day in 1945. Taiwan, which uses the official name the Republic of China (ROC) as shown on its citizens' passports, is the last territory of the republic that also ruled mainland China from 1911 to 1949. After being defeated by the CCP in 1949 on the mainland, the ROC's nationalist government, led by Chiang Kai-shek, retreated to the island of Taiwan, which was returned to China from Japanese occupation in 1945. The Republic of China has remained Taiwan's official name since then. Meanwhile, the CCP established the communist regime, the People's Republic of China (PRC), on the mainland in 1949. The CCP claims sovereignty over Taiwan despite that it has never ruled the island and it has not ruled out the possibility of using force to annex Taiwan. As the communist regime held commemoration events, including a military parade in Beijing to celebrate the 'CCP-led victory against Japanese invasion,' Taipei's top China-policy maker warned its people to be vigilant against the CCP's distortion of history and threats against the island nation. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng pointed out in a video released by his office on Aug. 15 that the PRC did not exist during WWII. 'The Chinese Communist regime has repeatedly distorted the facts in recent years, claiming that the war against Japan was led by the Communist Party, and has even fabricated the notion that Taiwan belongs to the People's Republic of China,' Chiu said. He called on Taiwanese people to 'unite and jointly defend national sovereignty and dignity' to participate in Taiwan-led events instead of taking part in the PRC's war commemorations, such as the parade. In a statement posted on his Facebook page on Aug. 15, Taiwan (ROC)'s president Lai Ching-te stated, without directly naming the PRC, 'the most valuable lesson of World War Two is that unity leads to victory, while aggression leads to defeat.' Lai said that as authoritarianism once again gathers strength, it is important that freedom and democracy prevail. ROC Led the War, Not CCP The ROC was part of the Allied Forces alongside the United States during WWII, and its nationalist troops played a crucial role against Japan, not the communist troops. Epoch Times columnist Li Jian examined the major battles against Japan during WWII with numbers and details in his article for the Chinese language edition on Aug. 14. He pointed out that 'during the eight-year war, there were 22 large-scale battles between China and Japan, each of them involving more than 100,000 troops. The CCP army only participated in two battles, the Pingxingguan Battle and the Hundred Regiments Offensive,' and the rest were all fought by the nationalist troops alone. 'The ROC's nationalist army led by Chiang Kai-shek was the main force in the decisive battles and the core of the war of resistance,' he wrote. After the CCP's Long March (1934–1935), which was in fact its long escape from the ROC government's pursuit from its base in the southeast inland province of Jiangxi to northwest China, the CCP built a new base in Yan'an in Shanbei, northern Shaanxi Province. The new location was away from the northeast, eastern, and southern China that were occupied by Japan and where the main battles took place during WWII in China and Asia (1937–1945). While nationalist troops fought the Japanese invasion, the CCP largely remained in Yan'an in northern China. In The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China (2008), U.S. historian Jay Taylor detailed the allied efforts between the nationalist troops led by Chiang and the U.S. troops during WWII in China, including the famous U.S. pilots group Flying Tigers–The American Volunteer Group of the Republic of China Air Force to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. In Forgotten Ally: China's War with Japan, 1937–1945 (2013), British historian Rana Mitter sheds light on the major battles that China fought against Japan, mostly by the nationalist troops, over the long eight years during WWII. It also highlighted the Chinese nationalist troops' crucial role in fighting against Japanese troops in the jungle of Burma, alongside the British and the American troops, preventing Japan from moving westward in Southeast Asia and into South Asia. When the CCP arrived in Yan'an after the Long March, it had only 6,000 troops. In 1945, when the Japanese surrendered, the CCP's army had grown to more than 900,000 regular soldiers, in addition to 2 million militia fighters, according to the 'Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party,' published by The Epoch Times. 'During the war, the CCP made a show of calling for resistance to the Japanese, but they only had local armies and guerrilla forces in camps away from the frontlines,' the 'Nine Commentaries' said. 'By marching through these northern provinces, it could claim to be 'fighting the Japanese' and win people's hearts.' In 1945, when the war with the Japanese came to an end, the civil war began to break out. Chiang had 39 'American-trained divisions, he had equipment, he had a high morale among his troops,' according to Sen. Joe McCarthy in 'America's Retreat From Liberty.' However, George Marshall was posted to China from 1945 to 1947 as the U.S. special envoy to China and enforced a policy that disarmed the nationalist army and forced the ROC into a unified government with the communists, McCarthy said. 'Marshall described one of his own acts as follows: 'As Chief-of-Staff I armed 39 anti-Communist divisions. Now with a stroke of a pen I disarm them,'' he said of Marshall's actions after the war. McCarthy said that while Marshall cut off the flow of arms to Chiang, he allowed support from the communists in Russia to the communists in Yan'an to flow unabated. In contrast to the nationalists' resistance against Japan, CCP leader Mao Zedong expressed gratitude to Japan's invasion on more than one occasion, which were recorded in official documents of the CCP and have been widely cited by international historians and media. For example, in 1972, Mao met with Japanese Prime Minister Takuei in Nanjing and told him no need to apologize for Japan's atrocities committed in China during the war. '[Japan] doesn't have to say sorry, you had contributed towards China, Why? Because [if] Imperial Japan did not start the war of invasion, how could we communists have become mighty powerful?' Mao said at the time. 'How could we stage the coup d'état? How could we defeat Chiang Kai Shek? How are we going to pay back you guys? No, we do not want your war reparations!' Renowned Chinese historian Xin Haonian concluded in a speech at a forum in Texas about China's war of resistance against Japanese invasion that 'the CCP did not fight against the Japanese, falsely claimed it fought against the Japanese, and even collaborated with the enemy and sold out the country.' However, for decades, 'it has not only continued to slander the other party [the nationalists] that consistently fought against the Japanese and led the war of resistance as a party that did not fight against the Japanese, but also continued to portray itself as 'the hero who led the entire nation to fight against the Japanese and achieve final victory.'' Xin said that the CCP's purpose is to use continued deception to legitimize its rule. CCP Has Never Ruled Taiwan After WWII, Taiwan, occupied by Japan from 1895 to 1945, was returned to the ROC, according to the Cairo Declaration (1943) and the Potsdam Declaration (1945), of which the ROC's President Chiang Kai-shek was one of the signing parties along with the leaders of the UK and the United States. The ROC formally accepted the handover on Oct. 25, 1945. When the nationalist troops were defeated by the communists in mainland China in China's civil war in 1949, the ROC government retreated to Taiwan, while the CCP established its communist regime on the mainland. Taiwan's president Lai stated the fact in his presidential inaugural address in 2024 that 'the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China are not subordinate to each other.' The CCP responded to Lai's rejection of Beijing's sovereignty claim by calling him a 'separatist.' Lai emphasized earlier this year in his series of public speeches in Taiwan that the PRC has never exercised sovereignty over Taiwan or other outlying islands administered by the ROC. 'Regardless of what name we choose to call our nation—the Republic of China, the Republic of China Taiwan, or Taiwan, we are an independent country,' he said.
