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Retrocession of Taiwan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Retrocession of Taiwan
Part of World War II
Japanese surrender ceremony in Taipei
Native name 臺灣光復
DateOctober 25, 1945 (1945-10-25)
OutcomeTaiwan came under control of the Republic of China

The Retrocession of Taiwan was the transfer of Taiwan and Penghu from Japan to the Republic of China on 25 October 1945.[1][2][3][4] The Republic of China government viewed this as the restoration of Chinese administration over Taiwan, following its cession to Japan in 1895 after the Qing dynasty's defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War. Therefore, it is called retrocession,[2] although this notion has been controversial since the democratisation of Taiwan in the 1990s.

On 15 August 1945, Japan announced its surrender following its defeat in World War II. On 2 September, Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, issued General Order No. 1, instructing Japanese forces in various locations to surrender to the Allies. The order specified that Japanese troops in Taiwan were to surrender to the Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek. Chiang delegated He Yingqin as his plenipotentiary for the surrender process, who further appointed Chen Yi to oversee the surrender in Taiwan. The Governor-General of Taiwan and Commander of the Japanese 10th Area Army, Rikichi Andō, on behalf of Japan, surrendered to Chen Yi at the Taipei Public Hall on 25 October, signing the documents to formalise the transfer.[5][6]

Background

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Chinese propaganda poster featured portraits of Chiang Kai-shek and Franklin D. Roosevelt, where the Japanese military was depicted as an octopus entrenched on the island of Taiwan

The Qing dynasty of China ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895 following its defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War. The 1911 revolution brought about the fall of the Qing dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China.[7]

Japanese aggression escalated into full-scale conflict after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937, drawing the Republic of China into the Second Sino-Japanese War. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Republic of China officially joined the Allies in World War II.[8] The Republic of China sought Allied agreement for Japan to relinquish Taiwan, then called Formosa, and return its sovereignty to China after the war. This intention was included in the Cairo Declaration and reiterated in the Potsdam Proclamation, which called for the fulfilment of these terms.[9][7]

It is their purpose that Japan shall be stripped of all the islands in the Pacific which she has seized or occupied since the beginning of the first World War in 1914, and that all the territories Japan has stolen from the Chinese, such as Manchuria, Formosa, and The Pescadores, shall be restored to the Republic of China.

— 1943 Cairo Declaration

The terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out and Japanese sovereignty shall be limited to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and such minor islands as we determine.

— 1945 Potsdam Declaration

Government plans

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On 17 April 1944, the Nationalist Government of the Republic of China in Chongqing, through the Kuomintang's Central Design Bureau, established the Taiwan Investigation Committee. Chen Yi, who had participated in the 40th Anniversary Commemorative Taiwan Expo, was appointed as the head. Initially, no Taiwanese members were part of the committee, but in September, several Taiwanese members were added.[10] In May 1944, the Central Design Bureau divided the Chinese territory into three zones, the rear zone, the recovered zone, and the retroceded zone, with Taiwan and Manchuria being the retroceded zone.[11][12]

With the end of the war, the Nationalist government debated two plans for Taiwan: a normal Chinese province or a special administration area with additional military authorities. Chiang Kai-shek, upon the suggestion of Chen Yi, turned Taiwan into a Chinese province, yet he set up the Taiwan Provincial Administrative Executive Office, which had extensive political and military power. This design was criticised by Taiwanese and was called the New Governor-General Office.[13]

Takeover

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Initial reactions

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On 15 October, the National Revolutionary Army of China arrived in Taiwan, landing at Keelung, where they were greeted warmly by the local Taiwanese population.[14] Businesspeople took out advertisements in local newspapers to celebrate the takeover, and streets were filled with celebrations marked by firecrackers and Chinese lanterns. Although there were limited incidents of Taiwanese retribution against the Japanese, the general situation remained calm and orderly, with the Taiwanese anticipating the Chinese administration's arrival.[15]

Surrender ceremony

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Surrender ceremony in Taipei

On 25 October 1945, the Japanese surrender ceremony in Taiwan took place at 10 a.m. at the Taipei Public Hall. The surrendering party was the Japanese Empire’s 10th Area Army, represented by Governor-General of Taiwan and 10th Area Army Commander General Rikichi Andō. Chen Yi represented the Allied Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek to accept the surrender, which was witnessed by representatives of Nationalist government, Taiwanese people, Japanese forces, and American forces.[16][17]

  • Representatives of the National Government: Chen Yi, Ge Jing'en, Ke Yuanfen, Huang Chaoqin, You Mijian, Song Feiru, Li Wanju.
  • Representatives of the Taiwanese people: Lin Hsien-tang, Chen Xin, Lin Maosheng, Du Congming, Luo Wanqian, Xie Shuangqiu, Huang Shihong, Wang Baiyuan.
  • Representatives of Japan: Rikichi Andō, Haruki Isayama, Hifumi Suda, Tasuku Nakazawa.
  • Allied representatives: Edwin A. Locke, Cecil J. Gridley, Henry Berk, Ulmont W. Holly, George H. Kerr, among 19 others.[16][17]

After the surrender ceremony, Chen Yi delivered a radio speech proclaiming that Taiwan and the Penghu Islands had rejoined China, marking Taiwan's retrocession.[2] George H. Kerr, who was invited to proofread the English translation of Chen Yi’s Chinese speech, noted that it omitted any mention of the role played by the United States.[18] On the the Taiwan Provincial Administrative Executive Office officially began operations, with its headquarters located at the former Taipei City Hall.[19]

Property takeover

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From November, the Taiwan Provincial Administrative Executive Office and the Taiwan Garrison Command jointly established the Taiwan Provincial Receiving Committee, tasked with taking over military and administrative functions, as well as Japanese assets in Taiwan . In January 1946ty Handling Committee was set up under the Receiving Committee, with branches in 17 counties and cities to oversee the management of Japanese assets.[19] By July, additional bodies—the Property Auction Committee and the Property Liquidation Committee—were established to handle the valuation, auction, and settlement of debts and claims related to the properties and financial institutions .[20]

Aftermath

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See also: 28 February Incident

Shortly after the takeover, the Taiwanese people witnessed a corrupt and undisciplined Chinese administration that seized Taiwan's resources to support the civil war on the mainland.[21][22][23]: 111 [24]: 69 [25][26] The government's poor economic management led to hyperinflation, reduced production,[27][28][13] widespread unemployment and hunger,[29] and a rise in violent crime.[30] Taiwanese citizens faced discrimination by mainland military and government officials,[31] which fueled growing resentment. These factors ultimately contributed to the eruption of the 28 February Incident.[32] Many intellectuals who had supported the end of Japanese rule and were hopeful for Chinese governance, including Lin Hsien-tang, were either killed or forced to flee by the government.[33]

Controversy

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Main article: Political status of Taiwan

The Nationalist government was criticised for controlling Taiwan as "conquerors," displaying an attitude of "superiority" and exercising authoritarian power.[34] It implemented a forty-year-long period of White Terror, during which Taiwan's indigenous people were repressed, and democracy, human rights, and freedoms were stifled. Therefore, a good number of Taiwanese scholars believed that there was no retrocession of Taiwan, but the island was once again conquered by a foreign government.[35][36][37][38][39]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ 國籍與公民權：人民與國家「身分連結」的法制溯源與法理分析 Archived 2015-01-07 at the Wayback Machine，第34-36頁，李建良，台北：中研院政治所、中研院社會所，2006-05-26
  2. ^ a b c "中華民國外交史料特展 臺灣光復". 國立故宮博物院. Archived from the original on 2015-07-11. Retrieved 2014-12-16.
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  4. ^ 臺灣省諮議會 (2005). 臺灣省參議會、臨時省議會暨省議會時期史料彙編計畫－蔡鴻文先生史料彙編（下） (PDF). 臺灣省諮議會. ISBN 986-00-4270-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
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  15. ^ "臺灣的歷史源流(下冊)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
  16. ^ a b 林炳炎 (2014-05-09). "從「翻異」看「1945年10月25日台北市公會堂の降伏式」" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on 2019-05-03. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  17. ^ a b 慶祝抗戰勝利五十週年兩岸學術硏討會論文集，第1卷，第553頁，中國近代史學會，聯合報系文化基金會，1996
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  22. ^ 陳翠蓮 (1995-02-20). 派系鬥爭與權謀政治:二二八悲劇的另一面相. 時報文化出版. p. 第84頁. ISBN 9789571315782.
  23. ^ 蘇瑤崇 (2014). "戰後臺灣米荒問題新探（1945-1946）" (PDF). 中央研究院近代史研究所集刊 (86). 中央研究院近代史研究所: 95-134. ISSN 1029-4740. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  24. ^ 程玉鳳 (2009). "光復初期臺糖的銷售問題—十五萬噸敵糖的來龍去脈（1945-1947）". 《國史館館刊》 (第21期): 47–94.
  25. ^ William D. Newton (March 21, 1946). "Chinese Exploit Formosa Worse Than Japs Did". Washington Daily News. Washington, North Carolina. p. 3.
  26. ^ William D. Newton (March 1946). "Corrupt Chinese Rule Bleeding Rich Isle". Washington Daily News. Washington, North Carolina.
  27. ^ "國立中央大學台灣歷史教學資料網". Archived from the original on 2020-04-19. Retrieved 2017-07-16.
  28. ^ 「由終戰五十年談台灣前途座談會」紀實 Archived 2021-03-09 at the Wayback Machine，台灣教授協會通訊第四期，1995-09
  29. ^ 甘蔗悲歌-二林事件 Archived 2017-08-01 at the Wayback Machine，第306頁，歷史教學理論與實務，吳翎君，五南圖書出版股份有限公司，2004-01-10
  30. ^ 從台海兩岸文化差異看台灣前途 Archived 2015-05-18 at the Wayback Machine，李筱峰，2013-01-29
  31. ^ 為這個時代留下永遠的歷史見證與紀錄 Archived 2021-03-09 at the Wayback Machine，第179頁，李筱峰，Third Nature Publishing Co.，2004
  32. ^ 本會簡介 Archived 2015-07-03 at the Wayback Machine，財團法人二二八事件紀念基金會
  33. ^ 狂飆的年代：近代台灣社會菁英群像 Archived 2021-03-09 at the Wayback Machine，第4頁，林柏維，秀威出版，2007-09-01
  34. ^ 二二八事件資料集，第29頁，鄧孔昭，稻鄉出版社，1991
  35. ^ 許建榮 (2016-10-25). "臺灣光復節？臺灣再淪陷日？". peoplenews.tw. Archived from the original on 2021-03-09.
  36. ^ 盧世祥 (2015-10-11). "打破「台灣光復」的迷思". ltn.com.tw. Archived from the original on 2021-03-09.
  37. ^ 「光復」？還是淪入另一個外來政權統治？ Archived 2017-08-01 at the Wayback Machine，張炎憲，鯨魚網站，2009-10-20
  38. ^ 蔡文居 (2013-10-28). "南市教育局長：光復節是台灣再淪陷日". 自由時報. 台南. Archived from the original on 2021-03-09.
  39. ^ 何日再光復?─台灣光復節八月十五日 台灣淪陷日十月廿五 Archived 2021-03-09 at the Wayback Machine，周明峰，台灣e新聞，1991-04-15
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