Taiwan under Japanese rule
Taiwan, 1895–1945. Draft, not yet reviewed
The island of Taiwan, along with the Penghu Islands, became an annexed territory of the Empire of Japan in 1895, when the Qing dynasty ceded Fujian-Taiwan Province in the Treaty of Shimonoseki after the Japanese victory in the First Sino-Japanese War. After Japanese forces crushed the consequent Republic of Formosa resistance movement, Japan ruled Taiwan for 50 years. Japan, which aimed to turn Taiwan into a showpiece model colony, made efforts to improve the island's economy, public works, industry, cultural Japanization (1937 to 1945), and support the necessities of Japanese military aggression in the Asia-Pacific. Japanese administrative rule of Taiwan ended in October 1945, after Japan surrendered to end World War II in August of that year and the territory was placed under the control of the Republic of China (ROC).
Seat of power: Taihoku
Rulers
Kabayama Sukenori
Governor-General of Taiwan, 1895–1896
On 10 May 1895, he was promoted to full admiral and became the first Japanese Governor-General of Taiwan, being responsible for moving the seat of government to Taipei. Despite his best efforts to stabilise Japan's rule over Taiwan, his 13 months term as Governor-General were not peaceful.
Portrait of Kabayama Sukenori: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Nogi Maresuke
Governor-General of Taiwan, 1896–1898
Nogi Maresuke was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese Army and a governor-general of Taiwan. He was one of the commanders during the 1894 capture of Port Arthur from China and a prominent figure in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, as commander of the forces which captured Port Arthur from the Russians.
Portrait of Nogi Maresuke: 大本営写真班, Public domain, file
Katsura Tarō
Governor-General of Taiwan, 1896–1896
Katsura Tarō was a Japanese statesman and general who served as prime minister of Japan from 1901 to 1906, from 1908 to 1911, and from 1912 to 1913. He then served as governor-general of Taiwan and later as minister of war from 1898 to 1901, when he was appointed prime minister.
Portrait of Katsura Tarō: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
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Kodama Gentarō
Governor-General of Taiwan, 1898–1906
After his service in the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), Kodama became Governor-General of Taiwan. During his tenure, he did much to improve the infrastructure of Taiwan and to alleviate the living conditions of the inhabitants.
Portrait of Kodama Gentarō: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Andō Teibi
Governor-General of Taiwan, 1915–1918
Andō Sadayoshi, also known as Andō Teibi, was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and Governor-General of Taiwan from 1 May 1915 to 6 June 1918.
Portrait of Andō Teibi: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Akashi Motojiro
Governor-General of Taiwan, 1918–1919
Akashi Motojiro was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 7th Governor-General of Taiwan from 6 June 1918 to 26 October 1919. During his brief tenure, Akashi devoted significant efforts to improving the infrastructure and economy of Taiwan, and is especially remembered for his electrification projects and the creation of the Taiwan Power Company, and for planning the Sun Moon Lake hydroelectric power plant.
Portrait of Akashi Motojiro: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Rikichi Andō
Governor-General of Taiwan, 1944–1945
Rikichi Andō was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and 19th and final Japanese Governor-General of Taiwan from 30 December 1944 to October 1945. In the fall of 1941, Andō was recalled to service, promoted to full general, and given command of the Japanese Tenth Area Army in Taiwan.
Portrait of Rikichi Andō: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Culture
- Japan established monopolies and by 1945, had taken over all sales of opium, salt, camphor, tobacco, alcohol, matches, weights and measures, and petroleum on the island.
- Most Taiwanese children did not attend schools established by Japan until primary education was made mandatory in 1943.
- Whether the period should be called Taiwan under Japanese rule or Taiwan under Japanese occupation in Chinese is a controversial issue in Taiwan and highly depends on the speaker's political stance.
Picture
The Presidential Office Building in Taipei was designed by architect Uheiji Nagano during the period of Japanese rule of Taiwan and originally housed the Office of the Governor-General of Taiwan.
Image: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
- Taiwan under Japanese rule (Wikipedia)
- Taiwan under Japanese rule (Wikidata)
- About the picture (Wikipedia)
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.