China has completed a second large-scale rehearsal in Tian’anmen Square for the ceremony that will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The overnight drill, which ran from 5:30 p.m. Saturday to 3:30 a.m. Sunday, involved roughly 40,000 people, according to the event’s media center. Organizers said the session added new elements to the first rehearsal and tested logistics, command and security procedures for the grand gathering and military parade scheduled on Sept. 3. Beijing’s preparations are part of a wider diplomatic push to commemorate the anniversary overseas. Chinese embassies and consulates have mounted related events ranging from a photo exhibition in Lusaka to a reception in Cape Town, while Havana held its own ceremony honoring China’s World War II victory. Commemorations have also surfaced in Taiwan and Japan. In Taipei, retired military academy alumni and other civil groups organized a remembrance service, where some attendees criticized President Lai Ching-te’s government for not sponsoring an official event. Japanese media outlets, meanwhile, are running extensive retrospectives as the country reflects on the 80 years since the end of the Pacific War.