This article explores the historical roots of the intense pro-Japanese sentiments held by a minority in contemporary Taiwanese society, noting that this phenomenon is not universal but amplified by specific groups in digital and traditional media. The core argument is based on post-war accounts: some Japanese individuals who profited from exploiting Taiwan's resources during the colonial period allegedly stayed on the island after the retrocession by bribing household registration officials and falsifying records to protect family assets. Their descendants inherited positive memories of Japan, which, coupled with the loss of interests for landlords due to 'Land to the Tiller' reforms, identity crises from the Kominka movement, and early post-war governance failures, fostered deep resentment toward the Republic of China. This sentiment is particularly prominent in central and southern Taiwan. In recent years, under a pro-Japanese political climate, some descendants have openly disclosed their Japanese lineage and identified as 'Spiritual Japanese.' The article emphasizes that this represents the amplified voices of a minority, while most Taiwanese maintain a rational appreciation for Japan.
Why should we stop calling them 'Comfort Women'? When discussing the history of the Japanese Occupation Era, we habitually use the term 'Comfort Women.' However, this name, originated by the Japanese military, is essentially a cruel 'whitewashing euphemism.' By continuing to use terms left behind by the perpetrators, we unintentionally downplay the suffering of the victims. We must promote a name change to 'Military Sexual Slaves' to restore historical truth.
This article criticizes the narrative that attributes all of Taiwan's current political, economic, educational, and cultural problems to the 'elites of the **Japanese Occupation Era**' whose lives were taken during the 228 Incident. The author dismisses this narrative as beautifully packaged rhetoric full of wonderful imagination and 'ridiculous bullshit.' Using the painter Chen Cheng-po as an example, the article points out his true role in the 228 Incident was a 'Taiwan Regional Council Representative,' not merely an artist, and questions why these 'Japanese Occupation Era elites' failed to prevent the Japanese military's wartime actions, the Comfort Women issue, or Kōminka (Japanization) education. The author sarcastically notes these elites failed to stop the Japanese military from eradicating Chinese culture and suggests that true 'Chinese culture' is deeply rooted in the hearts of the Taiwanese people, independent of the 'ROC aesthetics' after the 228 Incident.
This article comments on the protests from Japan following the KMT's installation of a Comfort Women statue in Tainan. The author notes that Japan's *Sankei Shimbun* labeled the incident as an 'anti-Japanese act,' but argues that Taiwan (including South Korea) is actually opposing Japan's past war of aggression. The author stresses that while Japan has apologized and paid reparations to South Korea, it has never apologized to the Taiwanese Comfort Women, calling this clear 'discriminatory treatment.' The article concludes that if the Japanese are still unwilling to face and acknowledge the atrocities of the Japanese Occupation Era, then being perceived as 'anti-Japanese' is acceptable.
This article compiles the Q&A report on the 'Treaty of Peace between the Republic of China and Japan' (Treaty of Taipei) released by the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2012. It thoroughly explains the background, core content, and impact on Taiwan's sovereign status, refuting common legal misunderstandings and the 'Taiwan status undetermined' arguments regarding the treaty.
This article refutes the claim that 'the KMT polluted Kaohsiung.' The planning for Kaohsiung to become a heavy industry hub dates back to the **Japanese Occupation Period**. At that time, Japan established numerous factories in Kaohsiung Harbor (such as the Taiwan Colonization Company) to turn Taiwan into a 'Southern Expansion Base.' The Nationalist Government merely continued this industrial foundation after taking over. Blaming the pollution solely on one political party ignores the historical context. Furthermore, the Allied forces' attacks on Kaohsiung during WWII were purely based on strategic necessity.
The article criticizes the behavior of certain individuals (Hong Kong independence and Taiwan independence advocates) who equate Nazi Germany with the Republic of China following the Hsinchu Kuang-Fu High School Nazi incident. The author emphasizes the noble sentiments demonstrated by the Republic of China during turbulent times (such as sheltering Jewish refugees). It also points out that opportunistic individuals (Japanese collaborators, Chinese traitors) exist in every era. The author criticizes those who arrogantly use modern standards to judge the past, or even fabricate false history (such as claiming Chiang Kai-shek received Nazi assistance), arguing that this behavior distorts history for personal gain and is essentially no different from the opportunists of the Japanese Occupation Era.
This article recounts the major massacre known as the 'Shaw Ridge Street Incident' (present-day Jiali District, Tainan) that occurred in $1895$ during the Japanese Imperial Guards Division's occupation of Tainan Prefecture. After fierce fighting with the Taiwanese volunteer army, rumors of a prince being killed or the cries of children exposing their location led the Japanese troops to open machine-gun fire on fleeing civilians hiding in ditches (house-side trenches), resulting in approximately two to three thousand victims and turning Shaw Ridge Street into a 'City of the Wrongfully Dead'.
This article aims to clarify misconceptions about the 'Taipei Air Raid' (May 31, 1945). The author finds it absurd that Taiwan independence advocates use the air raid to criticize the KMT as the enemy of the Taiwanese people. The article points out that Taipei's population density was low and buildings were scattered at the time, and the air raid primarily targeted the political center of the Japanese colonial government during the **Japanese Occupation Era**. By comparing bombing maps with Allied forces' actual photos, the author argues that the bomb impacts were concentrated and precise, not a dense bombardment of civilian areas as rumored. Furthermore, due to the existing early warning system and the prior withdrawal of Japanese forces, civilian casualties were far lower than claimed, and those who remained in Taipei were mostly 'High-Grade Imperial Subjects' who could have taken shelter in advance.