President Ma Ying-jeou has commended Taiwanese contributions to resistance against Japanese imperialism.
Ma was speaking Friday at the opening ceremony of an exhibition commemorating Lee You-bang and his wife, Yan Hsiu-feng. Lee was born in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial era. He left for China to fight against Japan in the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Ma said that he first read about Lee’s story while he was studying in the US more than 30 years ago. Ma said those who argue that Taiwanese were Japanese during the colonial era show a lack of understanding about Taiwanese history.
Ma said that Taiwan’s resistance against Japanese imperialism began much earlier than it did in Mainland China, starting with Japan’s takeover of Taiwan in 1895.
He also said that resistance in northwestern Taiwan became so intense that Japanese authorities adopted a scorched earth policy in the area, leading to heavy loss of life. Ma said that armed resistance against Japanese rule continued steadily through 1915. He said that these resistors made it clear that their homeland was not Japan.