While the Japanese colonial administration was highly authoritarian and heavily resembled a police-state, by the end of their half a century long reign, they allowed for partial self-government for the Taiwanese.
1921 saw the establishment of an islandwide advisory body, the Taiwan Governor-General's Consultative Assembly. While its members were appointed by the governor general, the fact that an increasing number of local Taiwanese came to be appointed makes it qualify as an early form of self-government.
In 1935, a new set of reforms put up half the seats of these councils for election and granted the body marginal decision-making powers. While turnout rates among registered voters regularly exceeded 96%, due to the criteria tied to voting rights, less than 5% of the local Taiwanese were eligible to vote in these elections.
While the significance these policies had in the emergence of modern-day Taiwanese democracy is debated among experts, few contest the statement that real political power remained in the hands of Tokyo.
