Local elections were held for the first time in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

by the

Japanese colonial government The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...

on 22 November 1935, electing half of the city and township councillors. The other half were appointed by the prefectural governors. Only men aged 25 and above and who had paid a tax of five yen or more a year were allowed to vote, which was only 28,000 out of the 4 million population. The turnout rate was 95%.

Background

Before 1935, all of the city councilors were appointed by the Japanese colonial government. Since 1921, many Taiwanese political groups, including the Taiwanese People's Party led by

Chiang Wei-shui Chiang Wei-shui (; 6 August 1890 – 5 August 1931) was a Taiwanese physician and activist. He was a founding member of the Taiwanese Cultural Association and the Taiwanese People's Party. He is seen as one of the most important figures in Ta ...

and the led by

Lin Hsien-tang Lin Hsien-tang (; 22 October 1881 – 8 September 1956) was a Taiwanese-born politician and activist who founded several political organizations and sat on the Japanese House of Peers (Japan), House of Peers. Early life and family Lin Hsien-tang's ...

, asked for a Taiwanese council. The Japanese government did not accept, but held city council elections instead as a compromise. Taiwanpaper

References

1935 1935 in Taiwan 1935 elections in Asia {{asia-election-stub