On October 22, KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang, who doubles as chairman of the National Policy Foundation (NPF), attended the “Observance of the 75th Anniversary of Taiwan Retrocession Day— the Republic of China’s (ROC) footprints on Taiwan” seminar, held at the NPF. 

The NPF invited experts and scholars, including Chao Shou-po (趙守博), former Taiwan Provincial Governor; Shuai Hua-min (帥化民), former KMT legislator; Hwang Kwang-kuo (黃光國), professor emeritus at National Taiwan University; Huang Ko-wu (黃克武), distinguished research fellow of the Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica, and so on. 

During the seminar, Chairman Chiang stated, “The attendees have discussed topics related to the retrocession of Taiwan (Province) by Japan to the Republic of China from the perspectives of society, culture, economics, security, and politics, which is very meaningful. I believe that people will be able to know more about the linkage between the ROC and Taiwan and find inspiration through in-depth discussions during the seminar.”    

 

Chairman Chiang added, “I remember Taiwan Retrocession Day as a day that was observed every year by the government, society, and schools since I was a child. However, this was not the case after the DPP assumed power in 2000.”

“More and more people are becoming unfamiliar with Taiwan Retrocession Day, especially its history. When the KMT decided to hold a series of events, such as seminars, music concerts and online exhibitions, to observe Taiwan Retrocession Day, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) began to launch a smear campaign to paint the KMT as comrades of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). A pro-Taiwan independence group even launched protests outside of the NPF,” added Chairman Chiang. 

Chairman Chiang stated, “It is funny sometimes because I think that if you support Taiwan independence, you should go for President Tsai Ing-wen. On the other hand, if you want to defend the ROC, you should join me. In light of this, I find that some people are very afraid of talking about Taiwan Retrocession Day and the linkage between the ROC and Taiwan. They are afraid of talking about Taiwan Retrocession Day because they intend to wipe out the ROC; the PRC also wants to demolish the ROC. Those who support Taiwan independence are in fact doing the same thing as the Chinese Communists.”

“For the KMT and the ROC, Taiwan Retrocession Day is a day of historical significance. It represents not only the end of the World War II, but also the end of colonialism. Taiwan Retrocession Day took on different meanings for different communities at the time, including ordinary Taiwanese citizens, Taiwanese who were forcibly drafted into the army to fight for Japan, Japanese who were dispatched to Taiwan for official functions, as well as Japanese who were born in Taiwan. Their stories deserve our attention. Most importantly, we need to restore historical truth,” stressed Chairman Chiang.   

  

Chairman Chiang added, “I came here to attend this seminar with the deepest gratitude. Many historical scenes revealed themselves through papers presented today. Taiwan’s retrocession to the ROC has profound meaning on multiple fronts. Taiwan Retrocession Day is no longer a public holiday as of the year 2000. The DPP government has never cared about it. Society has gradually forgotten its historical meaning. It is indeed a shame. The NPF holds this seminar to pay tribute to the numerous civilians and soldiers who sacrificed their lives during World War II and the fights against Japanese aggression. I hope that this seminar will also raise society’s awareness in reviewing the meaning of Taiwan’s retrocession.”        

Chairman Chiang pointed out that Taiwan’s retrocession has at least four profound meanings and influences:  

1. Taiwanese people were no longer regarded as “secondary citizens.” 

During the period of colonial rule under Japan, Taiwanese suffered from differential treatments in terms of rights and obligations under law. Japanese living in Taiwan deemed themselves “natives” who came under the jurisdiction of Japan’s “native laws,” whereas Taiwanese were regarded as “native islanders” who must obey executive orders from the governor of Japan, or so-called “foreign laws” that were solely applicable to the colony. After Taiwan’s retrocession, all Taiwanese people returned to the arms of their motherland and became ROC nationals who share equal rights and obligations conferred by the ROC Constitution.          

Take education for instance. Although Imperial Japan at the time implemented an assimilation policy, forcing Taiwanese pupils to be incorporated into Japan’s local education system, Taiwanese pupils suffered from differential treatment, as Taiwanese could only go to lower-level public schools. In addition, high school education for Taiwanese was mainly technical and vocational. Few elite Taiwanese students could attend university to study science, technology, agriculture, or medicine. My father and grandfather both lived through that period. Although my grandfather was smart and outstanding, it was impossible for him to become an elite in society given the rare educational opportunities for Taiwanese. This is a historical fact.           

Comparatively, the ROC has implemented six-year, nine-year, and twelve-year compulsory national education in a gradual manner, beefing up the education system at all levels and expanding its scale. As a result, everybody is able to benefit from this full education system. In Taiwan, even someone with the humblest background has the opportunity to someday become president.  

2. Taiwan was able to break the shackles of colonial control and develop its own industries. 

Under Japanese colonial rule, Taiwan was allowed to develop its own industries but was limited to only agricultural sectors. Japan utilized Taiwan’s labor and natural resources to support Japan’s economy and war efforts at the time. Unfortunately, some in Taiwan eulogize Japan for its colonial rule and distort historical facts.      

 

Taiwan’s retrocession marks the end of Japan’s over half century of colonial rule. The ROC government relocated to Taiwan in 1949 and began to rebuild Taiwan as a self-reliant economy based on Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s ideals. Taiwan’s economy began to take off in the 1950s after the government adopted import substitution strategy. When Taiwan’s finances stabilized, the government began to set up export processing zones to boost Taiwan’s exports in the second half of the 1960s. During the 1970s, the government initiated a series of infrastructure projects, including the Ten Major Construction Projects and the Twelve New Development Projects, to expand domestic demand and consumption in order to meet the challenges from the two global oil crises at the time. 

      

During 1990s, under the pressures of globalization, the government began to liberalize Taiwan’s economy and focused its development on hi-tech. Over the past decades, Taiwan has thoroughly revamped itself and has treaded on a completely different economic development path from that of colonial rule.    

 

3. Taiwan was able to pursue “political democratization.” 

In the 1920s, Chiang Wei-shui (蔣渭水), one of the most important figures in Taiwan's resistance movement against Japanese rule, founded the Taiwanese Cultural Association (TCA) and the Taiwanese People’s Party. He launched a petition movement for the establishment of a Taiwanese parliament. 

Last week, Chairman Chiang went to Taichung to attend an exhibition commemorating Taiwan’s first pilot Hsieh Wen-ta (謝文達). In 1920s, Hsieh joined Chiang’s TCA. When Chiang went to Tokyo to petition for the second time for the establishment of a Taiwanese parliament, Hsieh flew the Taipei aircraft (台北號) over Tokyo and dropped hundreds of thousands of leaflets calling for the rights of Taiwanese to participate in politics. This was the beginning of Taiwanese striving for democracy.        

 

In 1935, local parliaments were established in Taiwan. However, half of parliamentarians were still officially appointed. Democracy was only half complete. In 1946, one year after Taiwan’s retrocession, Taiwan held its first direct local elections for representatives of villages, towns and cities. In 1947, Taiwan elected its first national assembly representatives. In 1948, Taiwan elected lawmakers. In 1950, Taiwan began to elect county executives and city mayors, as well as council members. Democracy took root through local elections in Taiwan.           

 

Chairman Chiang stated, “People often say that Taiwan began democratization after the Martial Law decree was lifted in 1987. However, one thing worth noting is that since Taiwan’s retrocession, the Taiwanese people enjoyed far more political rights than during the period of colonial rule under Japan. Taiwan has become a beacon of democracy since the ROC held its first direct presidential election in 1996.”         

4. Taiwan’s retrocession re-links Taiwan and the Chinese culture.  

During the later stages of colonial rule, imperial Japan implemented the so-called “Nipponization Movement” in Taiwan to force local Taiwanese to adopt Japanese names, speak Japanese, and change their religious beliefs. After Taiwan’s retrocession, everything changed abruptly. Taiwanese began to use their original Chinese names and languages. Folk religions and traditional art began to resurface in society. Taiwanese were able to reconnect themselves with what their ancestors had left for them, spiritually and culturally.         

The ROC, under the leadership of the KMT, won the eight-year war against Japanese aggression and recovered Taiwan, which is a fact that cannot be erased. Over the past decades since Taiwan’s retrocession, the ROC government has carried out the idea “all men are created equal” from the ROC Constitution. Without the ROC, it would have been impossible to rebuild Taiwan’s economy, push for Taiwan’s democratization and carry Chinese culture forward. Most importantly, the ROC government has safeguarded Taiwan’s security and maintained peace across the Strait.    

Chairman Chiang stressed that Taiwan Retrocession Day is a day full of meanings. People of different generations or groups with different backgrounds have different feelings towards the day, so we should not be narrow-minded about Taiwan’s retrocession. It is important that we present historical facts. 

Chairman Chiang added, “Everyone should realize that after retrocession, it was the KMT government that strived to build Taiwan as a model based on the “Three Principles of the People,” i.e. a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”    

Finally, Chairman Chiang emphasized that in a democratic society, one should be more liberal-minded when reviewing history. We must strive to promote dialogue amongst various groups; it would not be possible for Taiwan to move forward without seeking true reconciliation.