Retrocession of Taiwan

Retrocession of Taiwan
Part of World War II
Surrender ceremony in Taipei
Native name 臺灣光復
Date25 October 1945
OutcomeTaiwan came under control of the Republic of China
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese臺灣光復
Simplified Chinese台湾光复
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinTáiwān Guāngfù
Wade–GilesT‘ai2-wan1 Kuang1-fu4
Japanese name
Kanji台湾光復
Hiraganaたいわんこうふく
History of the
Republic of China
History of
Taiwan portal

On 25 October 1945, Japan handed over Taiwan and Penghu to the Republic of China, as a result of World War II. This marked the end of Japanese rule and the beginning of post-war era of Taiwan. This event was referred to by the Republic of China as the retrocession of Taiwan (臺灣光復).[1][2][3][4] The Republic of China government viewed this as the restoration of Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan, following its cession to Japan in 1895 after the Qing dynasty's defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War. Therefore, the event was named "retrocession",[2] a notion that has been controversial since the democratisation of Taiwan in the 1990s. The date of the handover is annually celebrated as the Retrocession Day, which was a public holiday in Taiwan from 1946 to 2000, and again from 2025. The day has also been marked as a memorial day in mainland China since 2025.

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

The Qing dynasty ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895 under the Treaty of Shimonoseki 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 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

On 17 April 1944, the Chinese Nationalist government 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 criticized by Taiwanese and was called the New Governor-General Office.[13]

Takeover

Initial reactions

On 15 October 1945, 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

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]

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 Taiwan Provincial Administrative Executive Office officially began operations, with its headquarters located at the former Taipei City Hall.[19]

Property takeover

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 1946, the 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, namely 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

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]

Interpretations and disputes

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 40-year-long period of White Terror, during which Taiwanese people, especially Benshengren, 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]

Governmental positions

The official position of both the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC) is that Taiwan and Penghu were returned to the Republic of China according to the terms of the 1945 Japanese Instrument of Surrender, which stipulated Japan's compliance with the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. The Potsdam Declaration in turn included the terms of the Cairo Declaration, which required Japan to return all conquered territories to China, including Taiwan and the Pescadores.[40]

The ROC clarified its understanding of the Cairo Declaration in 2014 as a legally binding instrument.[41] Among other things, the clarification listed later treaties and documents that "reaffirmed" aspects of the Cairo Declaration as legally binding, including the Potsdam Proclamation, the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, the Treaty of San Francisco, and the Treaty of Taipei:

The post-war status and jurisdiction over Taiwan and its appertaining islands, including Penghu, was resolved through a series of legal instruments—the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, the San Francisco Peace Treaty, and the Treaty of Peace between the Republic of China and Japan of 1952. The implementation of the legal obligation to return Taiwan and its appertaining islands (including the Diaoyutai Islands) to the ROC was first stipulated in the Cairo Declaration, and later reaffirmed in the Potsdam Proclamation, the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, the San Francisco Peace Treaty, and the Treaty of Peace between the Republic of China and Japan. The Cairo Declaration is therefore a legally binding instrument with treaty status.

In November 1950, the United States Department of State announced that no formal act restoring sovereignty over Formosa and the Pescadores to China had yet occurred;[42] British officials reiterated this viewpoint in 1955, saying that "The Chinese Nationalists began a military occupation of Formosa and the Pescadores in 1945. However, these areas were under Japanese sovereignty until 1952" and that

[Cairo Declaration] was couched in the form of a statement of intention, and as it was merely a statement of intention, it is merely binding in so far as it states the intent at that time, and therefore it cannot by itself transfer sovereignty.[43]

In March 1961, in a meeting of the House of Councillors of Japan, a councillor of the Japanese Communist Party brought up the notion that Taiwan had been returned to China according to the Cairo Declaration, Potsdam Proclamation, and Japanese Instrument of Surrender. The then-Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs responded that:

It was specified in Potsdam Proclamation that the articles in Cairo Declaration shall be carried out, and in accordance with Japanese Instrument of Surrender we announced that we would comply with Potsdam Proclamation. However, the so-called Japanese Instrument of Surrender possesses the nature of armistice and does not possess the nature of territorial disposition.[44]

In April 1971, the U.S. Department of State spokesman stated in a press release that the US government regarded the status of Taiwan as unsettled, and that Cairo Declaration was a statement of purpose of the Allies and was never formally implemented or executed.[45]

As late as December 2014, the US government still considered Taiwan's status an unsettled issue.[46]

Other positions

  • Supporters of the Taiwan independence movement have argued that Taiwanese retrocession was invalid since there is no precedent in international law in which an instrument of surrender effected a transfer of sovereignty, and they base their belief in part on both a declassified CIA report from March 1949 confirming that Taiwan was not a part of the Republic of China[47] and President Truman's 27 June 1950 statement regarding Taiwan's "undetermined status", which they hold as proof of the leading Allies' views. In a lengthy legal essay published in Tokyo in 1972, Chairman Ng Chiau-tong, World United Formosans for Independence, analyzed the British Parliamentary records and other documents before concluding that the political status of Taiwan was undetermined.[48]
  • Taiwanese historian Jim Lee claims the following: After World War II ended, officials of the Republic of China traveled to Taiwan to accept the surrender of Japanese forces on behalf of the Allies. Although they claimed that it was "Taiwan Retrocession", it was actually a provisional military occupation and was not a transfer of territories of Taiwan and Penghu. A transfer of territory requires a conclusion of an international treaty in order to be valid. But before the government of the Republic of China was able to conclude a treaty with Japan, it was overthrown by the Chinese Communist Party and fled its territory. Consequently, that contributed to the controversy of the "Undetermined Status of Taiwan" and the controversy over "Taiwan Retrocession".[49]
  • The Democratic Progressive Party, which rejects the idea of Taiwan being taken back by China, downplayed the event during its two presidencies.[50][51]
  • Because the Republic of China officials who accepted the surrenders of Japanese Forces in 1945 were all representatives of the Allies of World War II,[52] there are opinions that Japanese forces on Taiwan actually surrendered to the Allies, not to the Republic of China, and therefore the so-called "Taiwan Retrocession Day" is merely "Surrenders of Japanese Forces to the Allies Day", which marked the beginning of military occupation and was not a retrocession. The opinions further believe that "Taiwan Retrocession" is a misleading term.[53][54][55][56]
  • Writing in the American Journal of International Law in July 2000, Jonathan I. Charney and J. R. V. Prescott maintained that the Chinese Nationalists (ROC) began a military occupation of Taiwan in 1945 as a result of Japan's surrender,[57] and that none of the post–World War II peace treaties explicitly ceded sovereignty over Formosa and the Pescadores to any specific state or government.[58]

See also

References

  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.
  3. ^ 蘇瑤崇，「終戰」到「光復」期間臺灣政治與社會變化 Archived 2015-05-18 at the Wayback Machine，國史館集刊第十三期，2007年9月
  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.
  5. ^ "中山堂受降檔案分析" (PDF) (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 國史館. 2010-12-15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-03-09. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  6. ^ 臺灣省諮議會- 戰後臺灣如何「光復」？ Archived 2018-11-14 at the Wayback Machine，臺灣議政史料展，臺灣省諮議會網站
  7. ^ a b "HISTORY". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan). 2024-11-18. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  8. ^ Mitter, Rana (2015-09-01). "Forgotten ally? China's unsung role in World War II". CNN. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  9. ^ Teng, Sue-feng (2014). "The 70th Anniversary of the Cairo Declaration and its Historical Significance". Taiwan Panorama. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan).
  10. ^ "國家發展委員會檔案管理局-檔案支援教學網>臺灣戰後初期的接收與治理>臺灣接收工作>接收規畫". January 2014.
  11. ^ 〈復員計畫綱要（二）〉，《國民政府》，國史館藏，數位典藏號：001-041100-00002-002，P. 8
  12. ^ 張齊顯; 林嘉慧 (2012-06-01). "外交部駐臺公署成立與首任特派員探討研究". 南開學報. 9卷 (1期): 2.
  13. ^ a b 二二八事件 Archived 2015-05-18 at the Wayback Machine，李筱峰，1997年2月25日
  14. ^ 悲劇的歷史拼圖 金山鄉二二八事件之探析 Archived 2016-10-09 at the Wayback Machine，頁5，中央研究院近代史研究所彙刊第36期，2001-12
  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
  18. ^ 美國駐台北副領事葛超智與「二二八事件」，第128頁，王呈祥，海峽學術出版社，2009
  19. ^ a b 鄭梓 (2009-09-24). "臺灣接管". Encyclopedia of Taiwan. Ministry of Culture (Taiwan). Archived from the original on 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  20. ^ "臺灣日產的接收". 檔案樂活情報.
  21. ^ 呂芳上 (2012). 中華民國近六十年發展史. Vol. 第1卷. 國史館. pp. 第14–15頁. ISBN 9789860333978.
  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). Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica: 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
  40. ^ Hung, Joe (7 December 2009). "Chen's shadow is getting eclipsed". The China Post. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  41. ^ ”Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarifies legally binding status of Cairo Declaration” (January 21, 2014).
  42. ^ United States Department of State (11 November 1950). "Sec. of State (Acheson) to Sec. of Defense (Marshall)". Foreign relations of the United States. Washington, DC: US GPO: 554–555. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  43. ^ "Far East (Formosa and the Pescadores)", Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), 4 May 1955, archived from the original on 2017-10-18, retrieved 2015-12-09
  44. ^ 参議院会議録情報 第038回国会 予算委員会 第15号. 昭和36年3月15日. p. 19. (in Japanese). 小坂善太郎：「ポツダム宣言には、カイロ宣言の条項は履行せらるべしということが書いてある。そうしてわれわれは降伏文書によって、ポツダム宣言の受諾を宣言したのであります。しかし、これは降伏文書というものは、休戦協定の性格を有するものでありまして、領土的処理を行ない得ない性質のものであるということを申し上げたのであります。」
  45. ^ Bullard, Monte R. (2008). Strait Talk: Avoiding a Nuclear War Between the US and China over Taiwan (PDF). Monterey, CA: James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS). p. 294. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-04-13.
  46. ^ Shirley A. Kan; Wayne M. Morrison (2014-12-11). "U.S.-Taiwan Relationship: Overview of Policy Issues" (PDF). Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-06-28. The United States has its own "one China" policy (vs. the PRC's "one China" principle) and position on Taiwan's status. Not recognizing the PRC's claim over Taiwan nor Taiwan as a sovereign state, U.S. policy has considered Taiwan's status as unsettled.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  47. ^ Lowther, William (9 June 2013). "CIA report shows Taiwan concerns". Taipei Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on 13 July 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013. [Quoting from a declassified CIA report on Taiwan written in March 1949] From the legal standpoint, Taiwan is not part of the Republic of China. Pending a Japanese peace treaty, the island remains occupied territory in which the US has proprietary interests.
  48. ^ Ng, Yuzin Chiautong (1972). Historical and Legal Aspects of the International Status of Taiwan (Formosa) (2nd ed.). Tokyo: World United Formosans for Independence. LCCN 74165355. Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  49. ^ 邱燕玲 (26 October 2005). "李筱峰︰台灣光復 中國無權慶祝". Liberty Times (in Chinese). Taipei. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  50. ^ Chung, Lawrence (26 October 2000). "Taipei govt downplays Retrocession Day". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 29 August 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2007.
  51. ^ Hirsch, Max (26 October 2006). "Activists call for Retrocession Day national vacation". Taipei Times. p. 2. Archived from the original on 30 November 2006. Retrieved 4 November 2007.
  52. ^ Joint Chiefs of Staff (1945). General Order No. 1  – via Wikisource. The above indicated commanders are the only representatives of the Allied Powers empowered to accept surrenders and all surrenders of Japanese Forces shall be made only to them or to their representatives.
  53. ^ 陳逸南 (28 July 2011). "受降非光復". Liberty Times (in Chinese). Taipei. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  54. ^ 黃聖峰 (9 September 2015). "台灣光復從未發生". Apple Daily (in Chinese). Taipei. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  55. ^ "釐清歷史脈絡方知「光復節」的荒謬". Liberty Times (in Chinese). Taipei. 26 October 2011. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  56. ^ 王伯仁 (26 October 2015). "「台灣光復節」從張燈結綵到廢除爭議". Taiwan People News (in Chinese). Taipei. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  57. ^ Charney, Jonathan I.; Prescott, J.R.V. (July 2000). "Resolving Cross-Strait Relations between China and Taiwan". The American Journal of International Law. 94 (3): 453. doi:10.2307/2555319. JSTOR 2555319. S2CID 144402230. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2010. After occupying Taiwan in 1945 as a result of Japan's surrender, the Nationalists were defeated on the mainland in 1949, abandoning it to retreat to Taiwan. In that year the PRC was established.
  58. ^ Charney & Prescott (2000).
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.