SHENYANG - Workers at a construction site in Northeast China's Liaoning province have found about 100 artillery shells discarded by Japanese troops around time of the World War II, local police said Monday.

The shells were used with howitzer cannons and are still active. They have been unearthed at a residential building construction site near the railway station of the provincial capital of Shenyang since the beginning of this year, a police officer with Shenyang City Railway Police Station said.

Following an investigation, experts confirmed that the shells were left by Japanese troops, and they have trained workers to work with extreme caution.

Shenyang Railway Station was built by Japanese troops during their invasion of China, and the place where the shells were found is believed to have been a warehouse for the troops, the officer said.

Police have asked bomb disposal experts to help destroy the shells and will donate some to local museums after ensuring their harmlessness.

On September 18, 1931, Japanese forces attacked the barracks of Chinese troops in Shenyang, marking the beginning of the Japanese invasion and occupation that lasted 14 years.