Japan ruled Taiwan for 50 years long before WWII

Did you know Japan ruled Taiwan for 50 years?

Under the Treaty of Shimonoseki (April 17, 1895) following China’s defeat by Japan in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–95), Taiwan and the Peng-hu Islands were ceded to Japan in perpetuity.

The Last Emperor, 6-year-old Puyi, formally abdicated the throne on Feb. 12, 1912, ending not only the Qing dynasty but China’s millennia-long imperial period. Sun Yat-Sen was elected the first president of China, and the Republican era of China had begun.

The Republic of China (ROC) was indeed the official name for China after the fall of the Qing Dynasty. The ROC was established on January 1, 1912, and it was the official government representing China until 1949. After the Chinese Civil War, the government of the ROC retreated to Taiwan, while the People’s Republic of China was established on the mainland. Today, the name Republic of China continues to be used by the government that administers Taiwan.

The UN originally recognized the Republic of China as the legitimate government of China when the UN was formed in 1945. However, in 1971, UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 was passed, which recognized the People’s Republic of China as “the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations” and expelled “the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek” (the then-leadership of the Republic of China). Since then, the People’s Republic of China has been representing China at the UN.

Taiwan’s constitution was created under the assumption that the Republic of China was the legitimate government of all of China, including Taiwan.

In the first Shanghai Communique in 1972, a joint declaration between the United States of America (then President Richard Nixon) & China and then in the second Shanghai Communique in 1979, then Jimmy Carter as the President of United States of America that Taiwan is a part of China. Jimmy Carter’s speech then was available in the Miller Centre website.

Following the joint declaration, the USA subsequently passed the Taiwan Relations Act . This act allows the U.S. to maintain unofficial relations with Taiwan, including providing it with defensive arms, despite not formally recognizing it as a separate sovereign state. The United States, through its One China Policy, acknowledges the Chinese position that there’s only one China and Taiwan is part of it, but it doesn’t explicitly state that it recognizes Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

History of Taiwan Pre-Qing Dysnasty

Prior to the 17th century, Taiwan was inhabited by Austronesian indigenous peoples. The Dutch and Spanish established colonies on Taiwan in the early 17th century, but the Dutch drove out the Spanish and took control over most of the island.

In 1662, Ming loyalist Koxinga expelled the Dutch and established the Kingdom of Tungning, aiming to use Taiwan as a base to launch a campaign to restore the Ming Dynasty. However, the Qing Dynasty, which had replaced the Ming in mainland China, decided to assert control over Taiwan to prevent it from being used as a base by anti-Qing forces.

In 1683, the Qing Empire annexed Taiwan, incorporating it into Fujian province. Later, in 1885, the Qing elevated Taiwan to a full province of its own within the empire. Taiwan remained under Chinese rule until 1895, when it was ceded to Japan following China’s loss in the First Sino-Japanese War. After World War II, Taiwan was returned to Chinese rule under the Republic of China.