The spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense mistakenly claimed that Nogi Nozomi was enshrined in the Yasukuni Shrine, but Japanese experts refuted it as a historical joke.

When Zhang Xiaogang, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, criticized Japanese members of Congress for visiting the Yasukuni Shrine at a press conference recently, he claimed that the Yasukuni Shrine is dedicated to Nogi Nogi, the former governor of Taiwan. In this regard, Akio Yaita, CEO of the Indo-Pacific Strategic Think Tank, said that Nogi Nogi was not actually enshrined in the Yasukuni Shrine, criticizing the Chinese Ministry of National Defense for "making another historical joke."

Yaita Akio posted on the Facebook fan page "Yabata Akio Club" on the 6th that Zhang Xiaogang criticized Japanese members of Congress for visiting the Yasukuni Shrine at a press conference on August 27 and pointed the finger at Taiwan. Zhang Xiaogang claimed that in addition to enshrining 14 Class-A war criminals, the Yasukuni Shrine also enshrines Toshiyoshi Ando, ​​Nogi Nogi and others whose "hands are stained with the blood of Taiwanese compatriots", and criticized the DPP government for "fascination with Japan and colonialism, and acknowledging thieves as fathers, which is despicable."

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In this regard, Akio Yaita pointed out that Nogi Nogi was not enshrined in the Yasukuni Shrine, and said that this was not "cold knowledge", but basic common sense that could be learned with a little research.

Akio Yaita explained that Nogi Nogi was a Japanese army general during the Qing Dynasty and the Russo-Japanese War, and also served as the governor of Taiwan from 1896 to 1898. After the death of Emperor Meiji in 1912, Nogi Nogi and his wife died. Since he did not die in battle or due to war-related reasons, he was not jointly enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine. The actual place where Nogi and his wife are enshrined is Nogi Shrine in Akasaka, Tokyo.

Akio Yaita therefore criticized that the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense "severely scolded a thing that does not exist at all" at an official press conference.

In addition, Yaita Akio also noticed that China directly characterized Nogi Nogi as "a person whose hands are stained with the blood of Taiwan compatriots." He said that the period when Nogi Nogi served as the governor of Taiwan was in the early days of Japanese rule. Many policy contents can indeed be discussed, but historical evaluation must be based on specific historical materials.

Akio Yaita stressed that Taiwan’s history should be studied and evaluated by the Taiwanese themselves, and that the Chinese government cannot decide for the Taiwanese people who is the “benefactor” and who is the “executioner.”

He further criticized that the Chinese military spokesperson failed to do even the most basic historical homework, publicly stated wrong historical facts, and then criticized Japan and Taiwan on this basis.

Akio Yaita believes that when history is reduced to a tool for political propaganda, when it is necessary to oppose Japan, the names of several Japanese soldiers are pieced together. When it is necessary to criticize Taiwan, a set of "historical memories" are created for the Taiwanese people. When historical facts are ignored for the sake of anti-Japanese and political propaganda, what is ultimately exposed is "one's own arrogance and ignorance."