Japanese Colonization

Although the Qing Empire decided to elevate Taiwan to a province during its final decade of rule and appointed Liu Mingchuan as its first governor, who also sought to modernize Taiwan, the Qing ultimately abandoned this remote island, once considered a foreign land. Under the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Qing ceded Taiwan and Penghu to Japan, making Taiwan a part of Japanese territory. The Japanese repeatedly used the excuse that Taiwan's history, culture, language, customs, and social structure were distinct from those of Japan, emulating the methods used by the then-powerful powers to rule their colonies.