On July 3, the Tonghua Municipal Archives in Northeast China's Jilin province publicly released, for the first time, a Japanese translation of the notebook carried by Commander Yang Jingyu at the time of his death.

Translated contents of the notebook carried by Yang Jingyu, commander of the First Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army. [Photo/Jilin Daily]

The detailed contents offer a rare and vivid account of his unyielding resistance against Japanese forces under extreme conditions, providing new firsthand evidence for research on Yang's legacy and the history of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army.

Spanning 12 pages, the translation includes 11 key sections covering international affairs, resistance communication methods, troop deployment, logistics, and more. Experts believe the notes were written between September and October 1939. This is currently the only known surviving translation of the notebook; the original remains missing.

The document narrowly escaped destruction when the puppet Manchukuo regime attempted to burn official records at the end of its rule. It was preserved by chance among leftover payroll sheets and leave requests.

With 2025 marking the 120th anniversary of Yang Jingyu's birth and the 85th anniversary of his martyrdom, the release of this archive serves as both a valuable scholarly resource and a powerful tribute to a national hero.