Between Assimilation and Independence

Japan’s fifty years of colonial rule over Taiwan ended on October 25, 1945. At a brief ceremony in Taipei, the island returned to China, then governed by Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist Party. ¹ The simple transfer of sovereignty accomplished in a single day, however, belies the complexity and contradictions of the 1945 to 1948 period, which blended a troubled decolonization with an abortive reintegration into China. ² Even after 1945 the colonial experience remained an important factor in determining the course and content of political activity on Taiwan. ³ The Taiwanese relied upon their collective memory of Japanese rule to create frameworks for evaluating and interacting with the Nationalist government. ⁴ They also invoked positive aspects of the colonial experience, such as economic development, in order to justify their criticism of the state. The colonial legacy, however, was a double-edged sword. Taiwanese had to legitimize their political activity by proving that they had become loyal citizens of China who had not been “Japanized” by collaboration with their former overlords. ⁵