Leaders from over 20 countries in attendance
The parade was held in Beijing at Tiananmen Square. Prior to its start, Chinese President Xi Jinping greeted the leaders of more than 20 countries who were in attendance. Putin and Kim then joined him in climbing up stairs to a platform overlooking the square.
Xi stresses accelerating building up forces
Xi then gave a speech as the ceremony opened. He emphasized his country's position as a victor nation of World War Two.
He said, "Humanity is facing a choice between peace and war, dialogue and confrontation." He added that the people of China stand on the right side of history and pledged they will continue down the path of peaceful development.
He also said, "We must accelerate building up our world-class forces to resolutely safeguard our national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity."
Promoting national prestige
The Chinese government has positioned 2025 as the 80th anniversary of what it calls "the Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War."
In 2014, after Xi took office, China designated September 3 as the anniversary of this victory.
The date is one day after Japan signed documents of surrender with the Allied nations on September 2, 1945.
This year's parade is the second to be held. The first was in 2015.
Observers say China is seeking to promote national prestige by showcasing its latest weapons and demonstrating its military build-up.
The country's defense spending is increasing year on year. Its defense budget for 2025 is around 1.78 trillion yuan, or about 249 billion dollars.
A Japanese defense white paper notes that the figure is approximately double the budget in 2015, and an increase of 7.2 percent from 2024.
Over 10,000 military personnel took part in the parade and China's cutting-edge weaponry, including drones and ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, was showcased.
Expert: China is sending a message to the world
Sugiura Yasuyuki is a Senior Fellow at the National Institute for Defense Studies, a think tank for the Japanese Defense Ministry. He says he has never seen so many different types of unmanned vehicles on display before, and that the various types of missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons caught his attention as well.
Among them was China's latest intercontinental ballistic missile. Its performance capabilities and other details are not known.
Sugiura says: "China has been strengthening its nuclear capabilities faster than we thought. I've never even seen this weapon mentioned in US Defense Department reports, so I think its appearance was pretty shocking."
He notes the display of such weaponry was a message to the US that the cost of intervention is high.
"It's a message to Taiwan that it is no longer a match for China," he adds. "It's also a message that it is riskier and costlier for US allies, including Japan, to side with the US."
Sugiura says the parade served two main purposes for China, with audiences at home and abroad in mind.
"The first is to act as a deterrent to Taiwan, the US and US allies, including Japan, in the event of a Taiwan contingency," he explains.
"The second purpose is believed to be to strengthen Xi Jinping's control over the Chinese People's Liberation Army and to reconfirm the army's loyalty to him."
The growing divide between China and the West
NHK World's Beijing correspondent, Nakamura Genta, witnessed the parade first-hand.
He says he saw tanks, missiles and other advanced weapons roll past just a few feet away, striking a patriotic chord.
Nakamura adds that the "extremely tight" security was striking. He explains: "We were told to gather at 3 a.m. That was six hours before the parade started. We had to go through multiple security checks along the way, and our equipment was strictly limited."
But he also points out that the rules were not clear, and what they were allowed to bring in was never spelled out. "Even right up until the start, there was confusion," he says.
Throughout the event, Xi stressed China's position as a "victor" in World War Two. Nakamura says, "Beijing wants to be seen as having both the right and the will to shape the global order."
However, he points out that it is less clear if that message will land. This is because Japan's prime minister and most Western leaders skipped the event.
Nakamura notes, "The parade underscored the growing divide between China and the West."