Taiwan under Japanese rule

The period from 1895 to 1945 when Japan governed Taiwan, acquired from Qing China after the First Sino-Japanese War. Japanese rule transformed the island’s administration, economy, infrastructure, and society while provoking resistance and reshaping Taiwanese identity.

Taiwan Governor-General: The colonial government headed by Japan’s governor-general, which exercised extensive executive, legislative, and military authority in Taiwan. This institution concentrated Japanese colonial power on the island.
First Sino-Japanese War: A war fought between Qing China and Japan from 1894 to 1895, ending in Japan’s victory and major territorial changes. Japan’s victory forced Qing China to cede Taiwan.
Kodama Gentarō: A Japanese general and statesman who served as governor-general of Taiwan from 1898 to 1906. His administration consolidated colonial control and expanded state-led development.
Tapani Incident: A 1915 uprising against Japanese rule in southern Taiwan, led by Yu Qingfang and suppressed by colonial forces. Its scale exposed the persistence of armed resistance two decades after annexation.
Taiwan Retrocession Day: A commemorative name for the 1945 transfer of Taiwan from Japanese administration to the Republic of China. The transfer closed Japanese rule but opened a new period of contested governance.
Taiwanese land survey: A Japanese colonial cadastral survey that mapped land boundaries and established more systematic property registration in Taiwan. The survey clarified ownership and enabled taxation and agricultural policy.
Treaty of Shimonoseki: The 1895 treaty that ended the First Sino-Japanese War and ceded Taiwan and the Penghu Islands from Qing China to Japan. Its cession clause formally transferred Taiwan to Japanese control.
Gotō Shinpei: A Japanese physician and administrator who directed civil affairs in Taiwan under Governor-General Kodama Gentarō. He shaped colonial governance through public health, surveys, and infrastructure planning.
Taiwanese Cultural Association: A cultural and political organization founded in Taiwan in 1921 to promote public education and Taiwanese political awareness. It turned cultural activity into a platform for organized colonial-era activism.
February 28 incident: An island-wide uprising in Taiwan beginning in 1947, followed by violent repression by the Republic of China government. Postwar tensions were shaped partly by the abrupt replacement of Japanese administration.

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