Historical documents released by the Shenyang Municipal Archives. (Photo/Liaoning Satellite Television)

An archive in Shenyang, Liaoning province has released 14 volumes of historical documents related to the Mukden Incident in recognition of the incident's 85th anniversary. Such a release is unprecedented in its scale and subject matter.

On Sept. 18, 1931, Japanese troops detonated a bomb on a section of railway in Shenyang, and used this as an excuse to then attack a garrison in the Beidaying area of the city on the same night. The incident was the start of the Japanese military occupation of Northeast China, which was also known as Manchuria.

The newly released documents were generated between 1911 and 1932. The documents offer readers historical facts about the political and economic situation before the Sept. 18 incident, and are an important part of China’s Anti-Japanese War archives, said Ma Fengyun, vice director of the Shenyang Municipal Archives, during an interview with Guangming Daily on Sept. 18.

According to the documents, Japan established policing agencies along the railways in Shenyang despite the Chinese government’s opposition. Japanese police officers arrested and executed Chinese citizens, trampling China’s sovereignty in the process. By the end of 1930, Japan had established 14 illegal policing agencies and stationed 17 police officers in Shenyang.

The documents also indicate that Japan had been gathering social, economic, military and political intelligence in the area between 1911 to 1932 in an effort to initiate the Sept. 18 incident.

According to Guangming Daily, more documents will be released once they are digitalized.