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Why Beijing is outraged over Taiwan’s Lai honouring a WWII-era Japanese engineer

South China Morning Post · · 207 words · By Xinlu Liang
Cross-Strait Relations Taiwan-Japan Colonial History
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3353961/why-beijing-outraged-ov…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

7 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 4
verified Verified By Reference 3
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“Beijing has slammed Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te for paying tribute to a former Japanese coloniser in Taiwan.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results from different sources (Global Times, other news reports) confirm that the Chinese mainland government criticized William Lai for his tribute to Yoichi Hatta, a Japanese colonial-era engineer.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Presidential elections were held in Taiwan on 13 January 2024 as part of the 2024 general elections. Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the incumbent president of the Republic of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Taiwanese_presidential_el…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis (traditional Chinese: 第四次台海危機; simplified Chinese: 第四次台海危机) is an ongoing conflict between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan, officially the Republic of C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Taiwan_Strait_Crisis
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lai Ching-te (Chinese: 賴清德; pinyin: Lài Qīngdé; born 6 October 1959), also known as William Lai, is a Taiwanese politician, physician, and nephrologist who has served as the eighth president of the Re…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lai_Ching-te
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“In a commentary published on Sunday, the Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily accused Lai... of “forgetting his ancestors” and reaching a new low in “ingratiating himself with Japan”.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results specifically mention the mainland's reaction and the use of terms like 'ingratiating' himself with Japan in the context of the People's Daily/mainland media reports.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — HKSAR v Lai Chee Ying & Others [2025] HKCFI 6291 was a Hong Kong Court of First Instance national security and sedition case concerning Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and three Apple Daily-related companies. The…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HKSAR_v_Lai_Chee_Ying_&_Others
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lai Ching-te (Chinese: 賴清德; pinyin: Lài Qīngdé; born 6 October 1959), also known as William Lai, is a Taiwanese politician, physician, and nephrologist who has served as the eighth president of the Re…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lai_Ching-te
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Mỹ Lai Massacre ( MEE LY; Vietnamese: Thảm sát Mỹ Lai [t̺ʰâm ʂǎt mǐˀ lāj] ) was a United States war crime committed on 16 March 1968, involving the mass murder of unarmed civilians in Sơn Mỹ villa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_massacre
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“Lai [is] from the independence-leaning ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and multiple web sources explicitly state that William Lai is a member and former chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party is the leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The incumbent chairman is Lai Ching-te, elected in January 2023.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chairman_of_the_Democratic_Pro…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lai Ching-te (Chinese: 賴清德; pinyin: Lài Qīngdé; born 6 October 1959), also known as William Lai, is a Taiwanese politician, physician, and nephrologist who has served as the eighth president of the Re…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lai_Ching-te
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The presidency of Lai Ching-te began on 20 May 2024, when Lai Ching-te was sworn in as 16th president of the Republic of China and the eighth president of the republic since it became established on t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Lai_Ching-te
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Lai’s attendance at a memorial service on May 8 in the city of Tainan, marking the 84th anniversary of the death of Yoichi Hatta”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm Lai attended a memorial service for Yoichi Hatta in Tainan on May 8, including a photo reference from his Facebook page and Tainan City Government records.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and commonly called the "prefect…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tainan
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web search NEUTRAL — Yoichi Hatta 75th Anniversary Memorial Service Held Mayor Lai: Friendship between Taiwan and Japan Stronger than Ever.During the service, Mayor Lai expressed the utmost respect, gratitude and grief on…
https://www.tainan.gov.tw/en/News_Content.aspx?n=13205&s=139…
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web search NEUTRAL — William Lai pays his respects before a statue of Yoichi Hatta, in Tainan on Wednesday. Photo: Facebook/William Lai Ching-te. Beijing’s foreign ministry reacted strongly to Lai’s speech...
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3262079/mai…
+ 1 more evidence source
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“Yoichi Hatta, a Japanese engineer responsible for building vital irrigation infrastructure during Taiwan’s colonial period.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and other sources confirm Yoichi Hatta was a Japanese engineer who contributed to irrigation infrastructure in Taiwan during the colonial period.
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web search NEUTRAL — Yoichi Hatta (八田 與一, Hatta Yoichi; February 21, 1886 – May 8, 1942) was a Japanese engineer, known for his contributions in hydraulic engineering in the Japanese-ruled Taiwan.In contemporary Taiwan, h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoichi_Hatta
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web search NEUTRAL — Civil engineer Yoichi Hatta was entrusted with the monumental task of transforming the barren Tainan Plain in southern Taiwan into a fertile agricultural heartland.
https://themetropole.blog/2025/04/15/waterworld-how-water-en…
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web search NEUTRAL — Hatta came to Taiwan in 1910 fresh out of college, and made the colony his home until his death. After the Japanese defeat, his wife Sotoyo committed suicide by jumping into the Wushantou Reservoir.
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2019/05/05/20…
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“Based in Taiwan from 1910 until his death in 1942, Hatta is best known for designing the Chianan Canal and Wushantou Reservoir.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and web search results confirm Hatta was in Taiwan from 1910 to 1942 and designed the Chianan Canal and Wushantou Reservoir.
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web search NEUTRAL — Yoichi Hatta's statue and tomb with his wife Toyoki, located in Wushanto Reservoir, Tainan city, Taiwan.He was the designer of Chianan Canal and Wusanto Reservoir.[1].
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoichi_Hatta
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web search NEUTRAL — Hatta came to Taiwan in 1910 fresh out of college, and made the colony his home until his death. After the Japanese defeat, his wife Sotoyo committed suicide by jumping into the Wushantou Reservoir.
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2019/05/05/20…
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web search NEUTRAL — Born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Yoichi Hatta was stationed in Taiwan from 1910 to 1942, serving as a hydraulic engineer for the Japanese government. He was killed in an Allied submarine attack …
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/05/d8ec061126c3-taiw…
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“At the event, Lai praised Hatta’s contributions to Taiwanese agriculture and industry.”
CORROBORATED
The Tainan City Government record and other web search results confirm that during the memorial service, Lai expressed respect and gratitude for Hatta's contributions.
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web search NEUTRAL — Yoichi Hatta's statue and tomb with his wife Toyoki, located in Wushanto Reservoir, Tainan city, Taiwan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoichi_Hatta
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web search NEUTRAL — Yoichi Hatta 75th Anniversary Memorial Service Held Mayor Lai: Friendship between Taiwan and Japan Stronger than Ever.
https://www.tainan.gov.tw/en/News_Content.aspx?n=13205&s=139…
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web search NEUTRAL — Yoichi Hatta is often portrayed by some in Taiwan and Japan as an engineer who contributed to agricultural development through the construction of the Chianan Irrigation Canal. However, critics argue …
https://weeklyblitz.net/2026/05/12/taiwan-independence-force…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.