Japan's colonial rule a dark chapter of Taiwan island

Editor's note: Certain forces on China's Taiwan island have been distorting history for their selfish gains, downplaying the atrocities committed by Japan during its colonial rule there and advocating so-called friendship with Tokyo. On May 27, the Taiwan research center of the Institute of Modern History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, held a seminar to expose these falsehoods. Three experts share their views, as reported by China Daily's Li Huixian.

Japan's centuries-long scheme reveals expansionist ambition

By Wang Xiaoping

Studying colonial history is not about stirring up hatred, but about uncovering the truth; not about dwelling in the past but about safeguarding the future. Japan's long history of coveting China's Taiwan island, and the military suppression, political control, economic plunder, cultural assimilation and destruction it engaged in during its occupation of the island expose the manipulative lie of so-called "friendship" between the island and Tokyo, as touted by the island's separatist forces.

Japan's 50-year occupation of Taiwan was not merely an outcome of the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki, but the culmination of Japan's long-standing expansionist strategy, a strategy that dates back to the late 16th century when feudal lord Hideyoshi Toyotomi, who unified Japan, envisioned using the Korean Peninsula as a springboard to conquer China and dominate East Asia. This aggressive vision laid the groundwork for Japan's continental policy, and remained the underlying logic of sustaining national development through military expansion well into the Meiji era.

Japan's southward expansion began with the Ryukyu Islands. In 1609, Japan's feudal domain of Satsuma invaded Ryukyu, capturing it and forcing it into vassalage and tribute. Over the ensuing nearly 300 years, Ryukyu maintained its tributary relationship with China, while being compelled to accept Satsuma's domination and heavy tribute obligations.

After the Meiji Restoration of 1868 — which returned Japan to direct imperial rule under the Emperor — Japan's national strength swelled rapidly, accelerating its expansionist efforts. In 1879, Japan dispatched troops and officials to incorporate Ryukyu into its territory; the centuries-old Ryukyu Kingdom collapsed.

During its annexation of Ryukyu, Japan also set its sights on Taiwan island. In 1871, Ryukyuan fishermen were caught in a storm and landed in Taiwan, where clashes with local indigenous communities led to casualties. Japan exploited the incident, framing it as an "assault on Japanese nationals" and launching a punitive expedition in 1874.

Although Japan withdrew under diplomatic pressure from the Qing (1644-1911) government of China and international criticism, the operation helped it achieve key strategic objectives: testing the Qing government's coastal defense capabilities and diplomatic red lines, fabricating the false logic that Ryukyuans were Japanese nationals, conducting a combat rehearsal for future southward expansion, and gaining crucial experience for larger-scale aggression.

In 1894, Japan instigated the First Sino-Japanese War and in the following year compelled the defeated Qing government to sign the unequal Treaty of Shimonoseki, ceding the entire island of Taiwan and its affiliated Penghu Islands to it, marking the beginning of a 50-year-long bloody colonial rule.

Japan's colonial rule over the island was characterized by brutal suppression of civilian uprisings and large-scale massacres. Taiwan island residents were denied the right to stand for election or vote, economically exploited, and subjected to cultural assimilation efforts aimed at erasing their history and national identity. Under the autocratic rule of the governor-general and a police-dominated administration, they lived in an isolated, surveilled and brutally oppressive giant prison. During World War II, many Taiwan compatriots were conscripted and sent to the battlefield.

Therefore, any rhetoric that glorifies Japanese colonial rule, downplays the massacres, or distorts history betrays historical truth and desecrates civilization.

The author is a research fellow at the Institute of Modern History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.