Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

was under Japanese rule after the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...

, as per the

Treaty of Shimonoseki The , also known as the Treaty of Maguan () in China or the in Japan, was signed at the hotel in Shimonoseki, Japan, on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of Japan and Qing China. It was a treaty that ended the First Sino-Japanese War, ...

of 1895. There were still several changes until the Japanese political system was adopted in 1920. This system was ''de facto'' abolished in 1945 and ''de jure'' in 1952.

Introduction

Administrative divisions of

by types and times. Like the administrative divisions in

mainland Japan is a term used to distinguish Japan's core land area from its outlying territories. "Mainland Japan" was an official term in the pre-war period, distinguishing Japan proper from its overseas territories (外地, ''gaichi'', lit. "outer lands ...

, most of them are translated to "

prefectures A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

" in English.

Early years (1895–1901)

The political divisions changed frequently between 1895 and 1901.

Chō (1901–1920)

The former system was abolished 11 November 1901, and twenty local administrative offices (''chō'') were established. Usage of ''Ken'' divisions was discontinued.

Structural hierarchy

Prefectures

* Shinkō, Byōritsu, Toroku, Ensuikō were split and merge with the two Chō in the right.

Demographics

Population of Formosa according to census taken 31 December 1904, arranged by district.

Shū and Chō (1920–1952)

Under a "Dōka policy" ( 同化) in which the Japanese considered the Taiwanese to be separate but equal, the political divisions in Taiwan became similar to the

system A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its open system (systems theory), environment, is described by its boundaries, str ...

used in

in 1920.

Structural hierarchy

* ''Chō'' () and ''chōme'' () are used in the city centers. * ''Sha'' () is used to name the tribes of the

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

Prefectures

* Hōko Prefecture was divided from Takao Prefecture in 1926

Cities

There were 11 cities in

in 1945. Most of them are still the most populous municipalities in the country today. The ōaza (大字) in the city center may be named chō (町).

Demographics

The 1941 ( Showa 16) census of Taiwan was 6,249,468. 93.33% of the population were Taiwanese which consisted of both

Han Taiwanese Han Taiwanese, also known as Taiwanese Han (), Taiwanese Han Chinese, or Han Chinese Taiwanese, are Taiwanese people of full or partial ethnic Han Chinese, Han ancestry. According to the Executive Yuan of Taiwan, they comprise 95 to 97 percent of ...

and "civilized"

Taiwanese aborigines Taiwanese may refer to: * of or related to Taiwan **Culture of Taiwan **Geography of Taiwan ** Taiwanese cuisine *Languages of Taiwan ** Formosan languages ** Taiwanese Hokkien, also known as the Taiwanese language * Taiwanese people, residents of ...

. Tainan had the largest population followed by Taichū and Taihoku. The largest concentration of ethnic Japanese were in Taihoku followed by Takao and Tainan.

Changes in 1945

When the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

began to rule

in 1945, the government simply changed the names of the divisions, and named the Aboriginal areas. Those changes were not recognized by the Allies after the

surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...

. * Most of the cities in Taiwan became provincial cities, but

Yilan Yilan may refer to: China * Yilan County, Heilongjiang (依兰县), county of central Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China * Yilan Town, Heilongjiang (依兰镇), seat of Yilan County * Yilan, Jilin (依兰镇), town in Yanji Taiwan ...

(宜蘭市 Giran) and Hualien (花蓮市 Karen) became the first two county-administered cities in the ROC. * The more basic or are merged to the

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

in provincial cities, and/or reformed to

villages A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...

( ''or'' ).

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Taiwan Former administrative divisions of countries

Introduction

Early years (1895–1901)

Chō (1901–1920)

Structural hierarchy

Prefectures

Demographics

Shū and Chō (1920–1952)

Structural hierarchy

Prefectures

Cities

Demographics

Changes in 1945

See also

References

Bibliography