Taiwan during World War II

During World War II Taiwan participated on the side of the Axis powers under Japan, though it remained relatively uninvolved.

Military recruitment began in 1940 alongside increased "Japanization" measures. Records show 80,000 Taiwanese were recruited as servicemen, and another 127,000 as civilian employees.¹. Conscription was introduced following the attack on Pearl Harbor, whereby 200,000 men were recruited, of which 30,000 suffered fatal casualties².

Bombings and invasions had largely avoided Taiwan, and it became the host of some of the most infamous Prisoner of War camps. The years from 1942 to 1945 saw over 4300 allied POWs deposited, over a tenth of whom died captivity^{2 3}.

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Related links

• Cairo Conference
• Empire of Japan

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References

1. Metzler, J.J. (2017). Japanese Interlude 1895-1945. In: Taiwan’s Transformation: 1895 to the Present. Palgrave Macmillan.
2. Ross, J. and Smith, E.M. (2021). S1-E7 - Luzon or Formosa? - Taiwan Dodges WWII Invasion. [Podcast] September 2021. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3bTFY2jh1S356gkOMikqdk?si=9a64649f4da6459c [Accessed 8 Dec. 2022].
3. Phillips, S. (2007). Between Assimilation and Independence: Taiwanese Political Aspirations Under Nationslist Chinese Rule, 1945-1948. In: Taiwan: A New History. Routledge.