Koo Hsien-jung was a Taiwanese

Taiwanese people

Taiwanese people may refer to individuals who either claim or are imputed cultural identity focused on the island of Taiwan and/or Taiwan Area which have been governed by the Republic of China since 1945...

 businessman and politician who enjoyed strong links to the Japanese colonial administration of Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

. He founded the Koos Group

Koos Group

The Koos Group is a Taiwan-based pan-Asian business group involved in a vast range of industries, which include petrochemicals, electronics, cement, manufacturing, financial services and banking. In all, the Koos Group encompasses over 80 companies, with more than 20,000 employees worldwide. The...

 of companies, the largest business group in Taiwan.

Koo was a businessman at the time of the Treaty of Shimonoseki

Treaty of Shimonoseki

The Treaty of Shimonoseki , known as the Treaty of Maguan in China, was signed at the Shunpanrō hall on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of Japan and Qing Empire of China, ending the First Sino-Japanese War. The peace conference took place from March 20 to April 17, 1895...

 in which Qing Dynasty

Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

 China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 ceded Taiwan to Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. When the Japanese forces arrived in Taiwan, they encountered resistance and besieged Taipei

Taipei

Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...

. On June 6, 1895, Koo opened the gates of Taipei and led Japanese forces into the city.

Koo's close links to the Japanese allowed him both to pursue a successful political career (he became the first Taiwanese to be appointed by the emperor to the House of Peers of Japan, in 1934) and to build a collection of businesses that formed the nucleus of today's Koos Group

Koos Group

The Koos Group is a Taiwan-based pan-Asian business group involved in a vast range of industries, which include petrochemicals, electronics, cement, manufacturing, financial services and banking. In all, the Koos Group encompasses over 80 companies, with more than 20,000 employees worldwide. The...

 of companies.

Koo had four concubines, eight sons and four daughters. His fifth son, Koo Chen-fu

Koo Chen-fu

Koo Chen-fu , was a Taiwanese businessman and diplomat. He led the Koos Group of companies from 1940 until his death. As a chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation , Koo arranged the first direct talks between Taiwan and China since 1949 and served as Taiwan's negotiator in both the 1993 and...

, inherited control of his father's business and served as the negotiator for Taiwan during the talks with China in 1993 and 1998. His eighth son, Koo Kuan-min (辜寬敏) was and is a leader of the Taiwan Independence

Taiwan independence

Taiwan independence is a political movement whose goals are primarily to formally establish the Republic of Taiwan by renaming or replacing the Republic of China , form a Taiwanese national identity, reject unification and One country, two systems with the People's Republic of China and a Chinese...

 movement. His grandson is Richard Koo

Richard Koo

Richard C. Koo is a Taiwanese economist residing in Japan specializing in balance sheet recessions. He is Chief Economist at the Nomura Research Institute.- Publications :...

, a Japanese economist

Economist

An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...

 specializing in balance sheet recessions.