China plans to put on a major show of its military power and 'scare' neighboring Japan in a rare spectacle of firepower, 70 years after the conclusion of World War II.

The public display of military prowess is the first since President Xi Jinping rose to power. The last time such a parade was organized was in 2009, said an editorial article quoting a WeChat conversation of the People's Daily, the Communist Party's official mouthpiece.

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While the article did not say when the parade would be held, it would likely take place in Beijing in September. Beijing places the end of World War II, which it calls the "Anti-Fascist War," on September 3, 1945. That was the day Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender in Tokyo.

The opinion article said that a show of military might can impress upon Japan that China is determined to stamp out anyone who dares to change the postwar order, especially China's core interests. This "enemy" should be ready for China's powerful counterattack, the piece added.

China's military show will have a big political impact, the piece said quoting Wen Wei Po, a pro-Beijing newspaper in Hong Kong.

The article scored Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for deciding last year to abandon a six-decade long post-war pacifist policy. Abe said Japan will still stick to the "general principle" of not sending troops abroad, but a lifting of the ban will lead to what the prime minister called "collective self-defense" and help an allied country under attack.

The Japanese leader's announcement did not sit well with Beijing, which saw the policy change as a military provocation.

On the anniversary of the end of World War II, Abe plans to focus on Japan's contributions to peace in Asia and the world after the war. China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying is wary of Abe's message, wondering if Tokyo is trying to water down or deny its history of aggression.

Besides their conflict during World War II, China and Japan are locked in a territorial dispute over islets in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku to Japan and Diaoyu to China.  

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