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The Government-General of Taiwan (Government of Taiwan, Taiwan Government, Government of Formosa, Japanese:
Taiwan Sōtokufu (Japanese) Tâi-oân Chóng-tok-hú (Taiwanese) | |
 Seal of the Government-General | |
 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 8 May 1895 |
| Preceding agency | |
| Dissolved | 25 October 1945 |
| Superseding agency | |
| Headquarters | 1 Chōme, Bunbu Chō, Taihoku, Taihoku Prefecture, Japanese Taiwan ( |
| Agency executive | |
| Key document | |
| Footnotes | |
| Sometimes also translated to Government of Taiwan, Taiwan Government. The western name Formosa was also used occasionally.[1] | |
| Government of Taiwan | |||||||||||||
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | |||||||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||||||
| Kana | たいわんそうとくふ | ||||||||||||
| Kyūjitai | |||||||||||||
| Shinjitai | |||||||||||||
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(
History
editThe Government-General of Taiwan was founded on May 10, 1895, two days after the Treaty of Shimonoseki was enforced. It started to rule Taiwan since June 17, 1895 after the Japanese forces took over Taiwan. On August 15, 1945, with the surrender of Japan, the organizations of Government-General was transformed to the newly established Taiwan Provincial Government and Taiwan Garrison Command. The transformation was completed on February 20, 1946.
Organization and structure
editGovernor-General
editThe Governor-General of Taiwan (Japanese:
Chief of General Affairs
editThe Chief of General Affairs (Japanese:
Internal Departments
editIn 1895, the Government-General was founded with three departments: Department of Civil Affairs, Department of Army, Department of Navy. The military departments are to prepare the warfare with the rebellions in Taiwan. The Departments of Army and Navy were soon merged into Department of Military Affairs in 1896. With the Civil-Military divide in the 1910s, the Department of Military Affairs were reorganized as the Taiwan Army Command under Imperial Japanese Army. All bureaus under the Department of Civil Affairs became independents departments under the Government-General, and the Chief of Civil Affairs (then Chief of General Affairs) became a role similar to a head of Government.
At the end of Japanese rule, the Government-General has the following organs.[3][4]
| Name | Kanji | Japanese | Taiwanese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secretariat to the Governor-General | Sōtoku Kanbō | Chóng-tok Koaⁿ-pâng | |
| Department of Education | Bunkyō Kyoku | Bûn-kàu Kio̍k | |
| Department of Finance | Zaimu Kyoku | Châi-bū Kio̍k | |
| Department of Mines and Industry | 礦工 |
Kōkō Kyoku | Khòng-kong Kio̍k |
| Department of Agriculture and Commerce | Nōshō Kyoku | Lông-siong Kio̍k | |
| Department of Police | Keimu Kyoku | Kéng-bū Kio̍k | |
| Bureau of Foreign Affairs | Gaiji Bu | Gōa-sū Pō͘ | |
| Bureau of Judicial Affairs | Hōmu Bu | Hoat-bū Pō͘ |
External Departments
editThere is a large number of external departments of the Government-General. Notable departments are
- Courts
- Taiwan High Court and 5 District Courts (Taihoku, Shinchiku, Taichū, Tainan, Takao)
- Taiwan High Prosecutors Office and 5 prosecutors offices in the district courts
- Department of Transportation
- Railway Bureau
- Communications Bureau (for postal and telecommunications)
- Monopoly Bureau (for opium, salt, camphor, liquor and tobacco)
- Port Bureau
- Takao Port Authority
- Kīrun Port Authority
- Higher Education
- Taihoku Imperial University
- Taihoku College of Commerce
- Taihoku College of Technology
- Taihoku College
- Taichū College of Agriculture
- Tainan College of Technology
- Imperial Taiwan Library
- Governmental Hospital
- Shintō shrines
Local government
editIn 1945, Taiwan was divided to 8 prefectures. They are: Taihoku Prefecture, Shinchiku Prefecture, Taichū Prefecture, Tainan Prefecture, Takao Prefecture, Karenkō Prefecture, Taitō Prefecture, and Hōko Prefecture. The prefectures are further divided into 11 cities, 52 districts, and 2 subprefectures.
Governmental buildings
editAfter the Treaty of Shimonoseki was enforced from May 8, 1895, the Empire of Japan started to rule Taiwan. In the early years, the Government-General was seated in the former Fukien-Taiwan Provincial Administration Hall build by the Qing Empire in 1892.
The new governmental building was planned in 1907 by the 5th Governor-General Sakuma Samata. Construction began on June 1, 1912, and was completed on March 31, 1919, at a cost of 2.8 million Japanese yen. The new building of the Government-General, now named Presidential Office Building, is still being used as the office of the President of the Republic of China after World War II.
The residence of the Governor-General of Taiwan is known today as Taipei Guest House.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ English translations of the Government of Taiwan
- ^ Edward I-te Chen (1970). "Japanese Colonialism in Korea and Formosa: A Comparison of The Systems of Political Control". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. 30. Harvard-Yenching Institute: 126–158. doi:10.2307/2718768. JSTOR 2718768.
- ^ List of Staffs in the Government-General of Taiwan (Academia Sinica)
- ^ List of Staffs in the Government-General of Taiwan (National Diet Library)
External links
edit- Documents of the Government-General of Taiwan
- Glossary of Asian History Government-General of Taiwan
- Formosa (Taiwan) Under Japanese Rule