China celebrates Japan's WWII defeat

As the Mainland commemorates the 60th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II this week, the government is scheduled to pay tribute to thousands of war veterans amid mass gatherings being planned in Beijing, according to media reports. Chinese President Hu Jintao will lay a wreath at the Monument to the People's Heroes on Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Saturday with about 10,000 people attending, followed by a speech to an audience of 6,000 at the nearby Great Hall of the People. Beijing said the activities were not designed to stir anti-Japanese sentiment, which earlier this year led to mass protests against Japan amid worsening Sino-Japanese relations.