A veteran who fought in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression said he is proud to see the nation's military advancements over the years.

Speaking in an interview with RTHK, 92-year-old Yang Huafeng also said China and Japan have maintained friendly ties in recent years, and he believes that Japan has learned lessons from history.

Yang recalled joining the Eighth Route Army at the age of 12 and repelling Japanese forces in Heilongjiang province during the war.

He also said he was very proud to have witnessed the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

With China set to stage a military parade next month marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Yang said the event will serve as another milestone in the country's military progress, showcasing its homegrown weaponry.

Japan used the September 18 Incident in 1931 – in which Japanese troops blew up a section of railway under their control near Shenyang today and accused Chinese troops of sabotage – as a pretext to invade China.

Japanese forces subsequently occupied the northeastern provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang.

"The northeast region was the area that suffered from the fascist rule the longest in China, perhaps even in the world," Li Bo, director of the Department of Party History at the Liaoning Provincial Party School, told RTHK.

Fan Lihong, director of the 9.18 Historical Museum in Shenyang, said she expects more people to visit the facility in this year's anniversary of the September 18 Incident next month.