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Retrocession Day (光復節) is an annual observance in Taiwan to commemorate the end of 50 years of Japanese colonial rule on October 25, 1945.
Taiwan, then more commonly known as Formosa, became a colony of the Empire of Japan when Qing China lost the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894 and ceded the island with the signing of the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki. Taiwan under Japanese rule lasted till the end of World War II.
When the Japanese surrendered at the end of World War II, General Rikichi Andō, governor-general of Taiwan and commander-in-chief of all Japanese forces on the island, signed an instrument of surrender and handed it over to General Chen Yi of the Kuomintang (KMT) military to complete the official turnover in Taipei on October 25, 1945. Chen Yi proclaimed that day to be "Retrocession Day of Taiwan". Taiwan has been governed by the Republic of China since.
The proclamation of retrocession was somewhat controversial, with some supporters of Taiwan independence arguing that it was invalid since there is no precedent in international law in which an instrument of surrender effected a transfer of sovereignty. None of the Allies recognized any transfer of Taiwan's territorial sovereignty to the ROC upon the surrender of Japanese troops on the island. President Truman's June 27, 1950 statement about Taiwan's "undetermined status" provides clear proof of the leading Allies' view.
Retrocession Day is currently not an official public holiday in the Republic of China, yet popular memorial activities are held and families hang the national flag every year on this day. The Democratic Progressive Party, which rejects the idea of Taiwan being taken back by China, had downplayed the event during their two recent terms of Taiwan rule[1].
See also
References
External links
- Taiwan's Retrocession Day on the Government Information Office website of Taiwan
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