Today 61 Years Ago
Today, August 15th, is remembered by many here as a lost opportunuty to be free-ed from colonial yokes for the people of Taiwan. The Emporor of Japan, Hirohito, announced over the national radio 61 years ago that he had accepted the demand of the Allies to surrender unconditionally. With that grave and brave act, it put an end to the era of colonialism. We all know that with the end of the WW II, the world map changed its colours. Many former colonies of the Western powers began to become independent.
With the case of Taiwan, a colony ceded to Japan in perpetuity by China from 1895, the imperial announcement was suppressed and withheld until late the next day, August 16th, 1945. It has been reported that then Governor of Taiwan Rikhich Ando, who was also the top Military Commader on Taiwan, deliverately withheld the news in hope to work out with some Taiwanese leaders for an independent Taiwan. But unlike the situation in Indonesia, his attempt was fruitless, probably due to some over- romantic notions about China held by the leaders, no consensus was gained quickly, and Taiwan was soon after occupied by the Nationalist Chinese military forces under the directive of General McArthur, the Commander of the Allied Forces in the Far East. In the case of Indonesia, then Japanese military commander there withheld the news of Japanese surrender for 3 days and successfully got an Indonesian guerrilla leader Sukarno to declare independence from the Netherland.
Early today, Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan went to pay respect to the war-deads at Yasukuni Shrine, the first time ever in 21 years on the anniversary, August 15th. The Chinese, Korean because of past historical tangles with Japan, and some aboriginals from Taiwan led by a woman legistrator, a pro KMT who was fathered by a Chinese veteran, protested and criticized Koizumi’s action. But he said that he just went there to pay respect to those who died for their contry.
Taiwan, Korea and Manchiuria (in the North East China) were all colonies of the former Japanese Empire. After the war, the Koreans achieved their independence. Manchiuria under the former and the last Emporor of Ch’ing China just vanished. Taiwan was forcefully occupied by a neighbor that caused a limbo, with her future unsettle. Worse, the new neighbor, who replaced the one who came to Taiwan in 1946, humiliates Taiwan by all means, even line-up over 800 misstles aiming at all parts of the island nation Taiwan.