Several days ago a South Korean asked a Taiwanese diplomat why Taiwanese feel such an affinity with Japanese. After all, it might be thought that there would be a degree of bad blood between the two nations, a feeling of enmity toward the Japanese given that they ruled Taiwan as a colony, but the opposite is true.
The Taiwanese official said that, during the Japanese colonial period, Japanese initiated many infrastructure projects. Japanese engineer Yoichi Hatta was responsible for the construction of the Chianan Canal (嘉南大圳), among other projects, making a huge contribution to Taiwan, which was not something that any other colonial power did.
However, that is only half of the story. While it is true that Japanese improved infrastructure and did not just use Taiwan as a springboard for their plans in the way that former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) did, most Taiwanese do not really have much occasion to reflect on the infrastructural contributions bequeathed to them by the Japanese colonial government.
Taiwanese look back fondly on Japanese rule is because of the comparison with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime that came after. Taiwanese old enough to remember recall quite clearly how they welcomed the KMT regime with open arms in the immediate aftermath of World War II, only to have their hopes dashed.
Taiwanese did not like the KMT because it did not recognize Taiwanese autonomy or treat Taiwanese as equals. The Chiang regime sought to differentiate people according to their place of origin, using their household registration details. Therefore, a person born in a Taiwanese hospital who might have parents from Zhejiang, Jiangsu or Hunan province was officially registered as Chinese. Children born in Taiwan were not allowed to be Taiwanese.
During the Martial Law era, Taiwanese were subjects and the foreign regime expected their subjects to join them in an effort to “kill Zhu De” (朱德), then a general in the People’s Liberation Army, and to take down Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong (毛澤東).
However, after democratization the foreign regime changed from opposing the Chinese Communist Party to joining forces with it.
The KMT was now using its age-old enemies against Taiwanese.
Taiwan has all the requisite elements of an independent country. It has a defined population, land, a government and sovereignty. It can oppose what the foreign regime formerly called the “communist bandits.”
However, not only did the KMT not seek independence, it actually joined forces with those same “communist bandits.” The KMT does not recognize Taiwan and even though the “communist bandits” are evil, they are “compatriots.” Regardless of how warm Taiwanese are, they will always be the “other.”
Japanese born in Taiwan during the colonial period who had to return to Japan following the war call themselves wansei huijia (Taiwan-born, returning home). They say this because they identify with Taiwan.
In contrast, the KMT does not identify with Taiwan, has been unable to set down its roots here despite having arrived more than 70 years ago and is unwilling to return to the “motherland.” It remains in Taiwan and yet resists all efforts to normalize.
It is hardly surprising that Taiwanese feel a nostalgia for Japanese when compared with the KMT.
Chen Mao-hsiung is a retired National Sun Yat-sen University professor and chairman of the Society for the Promotion of Taiwanese Security.
Translated by Paul Cooper
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