China celebrates 70 years since victory over Japan

A Chinese military brass band (front) and choir stand in position ahead of a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, on September 3, 2015. - AFP / Greg Baker

Beijing (AFP) - China kicked off a huge military ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II on Thursday, as major Western leaders stayed away.

President Xi Jinping oversaw the event, riding in a black car past thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks and missiles ahead of a parade through Tiananmen Square.