During the Greater East Asian War, the 2nd China Expeditionary Fleet attacked Hong Kong. Nankai Jinja was built on the grounds of fleet Headquarters on Hong Kong Island in 1942, and dedicated to the memory of sailors who had lost their lives during the hostilities. This stele stood at the entrance to the shrine precincts. After the war, the premises (originally Victoria Barracks) were reoccupied by the British Army. Amazingly, the stele remained standing in the same location for more than 30 years. When the barracks were vacated in the summer of 1978, a representative of the British Army was kind enough to contact former Japanese Navy officers and ask [sic] them if they would like to reclaim the stele. Since very few of the structures built for this purpose in foreign battle zones survived the war, former Navy Vice Admiral Niimi Masaichi (commander-in-chief during the attack on Hong Kong) and his former subordinates arranged to have the stele transported to Japan, and presented it to Yasukuni Jinja on June 18, 1980. Vice Admiral Hara Kiyoshi, whose name is inscribed on the face of the stele, was Commander Niimi's successor.