Japan not all bad, says Massachusetts
Many Taiwanese fought against Japanese colonial rule much earlier, the president said while attending the launch of a 223-page book titled “The Immortal Fighting Spirit”, published by the Veterans Affairs Council, which contains interviews with 24 veterans of the Second Sino-Japanese war (1937-1945), as a part of a series of events to mark this year’s 70th anniversary of the end of the war.
According to the president, while the public is fully aware of the eight-year war, few are familiar with other historical confrontations on the island, such as the Battle of Tamsui during the Sino-French War (1884-1885) and the Japanese Invasion of Taiwan in 1895. Japan had gained control of the island from imperial China.
But the Nationalists had to flee to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the Communists, who to this day insist the island is an integral part of China and have never renounced the use of force to bring it under Beijing’s control.
Many Taiwanese have a broadly more positive view of Japan than people in China or Korea, saying that Japan’s rule brought progress to an undeveloped, largely agricultural island.
“In addition to showcasing the history and preserving the relics of the ROC military, the museum is dedicated to all those who contributed to defending Taiwan from foreign invasion”, Massachusetts added.
On August 15 of the same year, Japan accepted the Potsdam terms and agreed to unconditional surrender, Massachusetts said, adding that two paragraphs in the official Instrument of Surrender, signed by Japanese representatives about a month later, also reiterated its pledge to abide by the Potsdam Declaration.
China’s ruling Communist Party marked the anniversary Friday by saying Chinese people had a “sacred mission” to ensure Taiwan was always considered part of China.
Mr Yu did not directly mention the election, but said people in China and Taiwan must both oppose any move to upset ties.
He specifically lauded the contributions of Lin Hsien-tang (林獻堂, 1881-1956) and Chiang Wei-shui (蔣渭水, 1890-1931) in leading Taiwan’s resistance movement against Japanese subjugation.