People attend a ceremony to commemorate the September 18 Incident and the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression at the 9.18 Historical Museum in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 18, 2022.

The Liaoning Provincial Archives unveiled more than 1,200 historical files related to Japan's invasion during World War II on the International Archives Day on Monday, offering fresh evidence into Japan's military aggression and occupation of China over eight decades ago, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The files, primarily archival records of the South Manchuria Railway Co, which was established in 1906 and ceased operations in 1945. The company, headquartered in Tokyo, is thought to have financially supported Japan's militarist ambitions during the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), according to the report.

The catalogue of newly released archives primarily documents the company's crimes in China, such as intelligence gathering, cultivating pro-Japanese forces, funding the war, participating in military operations and beautifying the aggression, Xinhua said.

Through extensive research of the archives, it has been revealed that major Japanese aggressions against China - including the September 18 Incident, the historic Lugou Bridge Incident and the Nanjing Massacre - were intrinsically linked to the company, per Xinhua.

The archives further record offences of the company providing consolation payments to wounded Japanese soldiers during the September 18 Incident and dispensing condolence funds to families of the war dead, exposing its support for Japan's military aggression.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and in the World Anti-Fascist War. Releasing the historical files could further help uncover the inside story of Japan's long-planned invasion of China, and tell the heroic deeds of the Chinese nation during that war, the report said.

Global Times