Among the archival materials, including trophies, seen by Sputnik, there is order No. 70 to units of the Japanese 3rd Division dated 9 August 1938, which was issued during the Soviet-Japanese military conflict in July-August 1938 near Lake Khasan. It instructs the division to "increase readiness for war against the Soviet Union".
Japanese troops, wearing winter uniforms, parade at their lonely outpost on the Siberian Frontier and, turning towards Tokyo, present arms in a new year’s day salute to the Emperor on Feb. 9, 1939. (AP Photo)
© AP Photo
Other evidence includes testimony by the last commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, Otozo Yamada, given in December 1949 as part of the preparations for the Khabarovsk trial over Japanese war criminals.
According to the protocol, Yamada admitted that in January 1938, he "ordered the units of the 3rd Division to bring them to combat readiness in the event of hostilities with the Soviet Union".