China says Japan complaints about U.N. Ban's WW2 parade visit 'irritating'

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the opening of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, July 13, 2015. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Tuesday rebuffed as "irritating" complaints from Japan about the Beijing visit of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to watch a military parade marking the end of World War Two.

Thousands of Chinese troops will march through central Beijing on Thursday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the war's end, overseen by Chinese President Xi Jinping and leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin.