On September 3, 2015, China hosted a massive military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of Tokyo's defeat in the second world war, as well as the broader defeat of the Axis powers led at the time by Germany. Tokyo's wartime record is a sensitive issue for Asian neighbours, which have been seeking contrition for past aggression - some of which Japan has disputed or denied. Japan occupied parts of China from the 1930s until the end of the second world war, and Beijing says millions died as imperial Japanese troops stormed across Asia. Japan signed the official instrument of surrender on September 2, 1945.