Eighty years after the end of World War II, Japan, China, and the Philippines continue to honor the memory of the war—but on different dates and in different ways, shaped by their own histories and wartime experiences.

In the Philippines, the focus this year was on February 22—the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Manila from Japanese occupation in 1945. On that day, Filipino war veterans gathered to recall the arrival of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, which freed prisoners of war in the capital and in many other parts of the country.

The commemoration honored the sacrifices made in one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific, which came seven months before Japan’s final surrender.

For Filipinos, the liberation of Manila is a deeply personal milestone, connected to their long struggle for freedom that began with the Cry of Pugad Lawin in August 1896, the start of the revolution against Spain.

In Japan, the central date of remembrance is August 15—the day in 1945 when Emperor Hirohito, in a historic radio broadcast, announced that the country had surrendered.

The message was delivered in archaic court language and through poor audio quality, leaving many ordinary Japanese struggling to understand the words. Yet, it was momentous: the emperor was regarded as a living god, and most citizens had never heard his voice before.

The annual ceremony on August 15 is a solemn occasion, focusing on mourning the dead and reflecting on the devastation of war.

In China, the key date is September 3, designated as Victory Day.

The date marks the day after Japan’s formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. China’s commemorations often highlight military strength, with parades that showcase its armed forces.

The wartime experience remains a powerful part of Chinese national memory—Japan’s invasion and occupation of large parts of China killed an estimated 20 million people and left a deep scar on relations between the two nations.

This year, a museum in Benxi, in the country’s northeast—once known as Manchuria—will spotlight the endurance of anti-Japanese resistance fighters. They survived harsh winters in makeshift log cabins, retreated into Russia when necessary, and returned only after the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan on August 9, 1945—the same day the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki.

Though they share the history of enduring Japanese occupation, the Philippines, China, and Japan remember World War II on separate dates, each shaped by unique turning points in their own national stories.

What unites them, however, is the enduring impact of those events eight decades later—memories of loss, survival, and the hard path to peace.