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Political divisions of Taiwan (1895-1945)
Encyclopedia
As per the Treaty of Shimonoseki
of 1895, Taiwan fell under Japanese rule
after the First Sino-Japanese War
. The political divisions changed frequently between 1895 and 1898. There were still several changes until the Japanese political system was adopted in 1920. Important changes are listed as the following.
16) census of Taiwan was 6,249,468. 93.33% of the population were Taiwanese which consisted of both Han Chinese
and "civilized" Taiwanese aborigines
. Tainan had the largest population followed by Taichū and Taihoku. The largest concentration of ethnic Japanese
were in Taihoku followed by Takao and Tainan.
used in mainland Japan
in 1920.
began to rule Taiwan in 1945, the government simply changed the names of the divisions and gave names to the Aboriginal areas.
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...
of 1895, Taiwan fell under Japanese rule
Taiwan under Japanese rule
Between 1895 and 1945, Taiwan was a dependency of the Empire of Japan. The expansion into Taiwan was a part of Imperial Japan's general policy of southward expansion during the late 19th century....
after the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
. The political divisions changed frequently between 1895 and 1898. There were still several changes until the Japanese political system was adopted in 1920. Important changes are listed as the following.
- 1898: 3 counties (縣) and 3 prefectures(廳)
- 1901: 20 prefectures (廳)
- 1909: 12 prefectures (廳)
- 1920: 7 prefecturesPrefectures of JapanThe prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 subnational jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "circuit" , Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures , Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures . In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as...
(州/廳) - 1926: 8 prefectures (州/廳)
Population
The 1941 (ShōwaShowa period
The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...
16) census of Taiwan was 6,249,468. 93.33% of the population were Taiwanese which consisted of both Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
and "civilized" Taiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied in reference to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Although Taiwanese indigenous groups hold a variety of creation myths, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major Han...
. Tainan had the largest population followed by Taichū and Taihoku. The largest concentration of ethnic Japanese
Yamato people
is a name for the dominant native ethnic group of Japan. It is a term that came to be used around the late 19th century to distinguish the residents of the mainland Japan from other minority ethnic groups who have resided in the peripheral areas of Japan, such as the Ainu, Ryukyuan, Nivkh, Ulta, as...
were in Taihoku followed by Takao and Tainan.
| Area | Japanese | Taiwanese | Korean | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taihoku (Taipei) | 153,928 | 1,053,372 | 1,051 | 25,531 | 1,233,882 |
| Shinchiku (Hsinchu) | 20,693 | 815,274 | 150 | 1,894 | 838,011 |
| Taichū (Taichung) | 46,371 | 1,329,620 | 333 | 3,863 | 1,380,187 |
| Tainan | 53,446 | 1,489,621 | 253 | 7,375 | 1,550,695 |
| Takao (Kaohsiung) | 59,633 | 863,313 | 598 | 6,839 | 930,383 |
| Karenkō (Hualien) | 20,914 | 130,720 | 119 | 2,032 | 153,785 |
| Taitō (Taitung) | 7,078 | 85,068 | 35 | 957 | 93,138 |
| Hōko (Penghu) | 3,619 | 65,694 | 74 | 69,387 | |
| Total | 365,682 (5.85%) |
5,832,682 (93.33%) |
2,539 (0.04%) |
48,565 (0.78%) |
6,249,468 (100%) |
Political Division in 1898
- Taipei (Taihoku) County
- Taichung (Taichu) County
- Tainan (Tainan) County
- Yilan (Giran) Prefecture
- Taitung (Taito) Prefecture
- Penghu (Hoko) Prefecture
Political Division in 1901
- Keelung Prefecture
- Yilan Prefecture
- Shenkeng Prefecture
- Taipei Prefecture
- Taozihyuan Prefecture
- Hsinchu Prefecture
- Miaoli Prefecture
- Taichung Prefecture
- Changhua Prefecture
- Nantou Prefecture
- Douliou Prefecture
- Chiayi Prefecture
- Yanshueigang Prefecture
- Tainan Prefecture
- Fanshuliao Prefecture
- Fengshan Prefecture
- Ahou Prefecture
- Hengchun Prefecture
- Penghu Prefecture
- Taitung Prefecture
- Hualian Harbor Prefecture
Political Division in 1909
- Yilan Prefecture
- Taipei Prefecture
- Taoyuan Prefecture
- Hsinchu Prefecture
- Taichung Prefecture
- Nantou Prefecture
- Chiayi Prefecture
- Tainan Prefecture
- Ahou Prefecture
- Penghu Prefecture
- Taitung Prefecture
- Hualian Harbor Prefecture
Political Division in 1920
Under a "doka" (同化) policy in which the Japanese considered the Taiwanese to be separate but equal, the political divisions in Taiwan became similar to the systemJapanese addressing system
The Japanese addressing system is used to identify a specific location in Japan. In Japanese, addresses are written using the opposite convention from Western addresses, starting with the biggest geographical entities down to the more specific ones....
used in mainland Japan
Mainland Japan
is a term to distinguish the area of Japan from its outlying territories. It was an official term in the pre-war period, distinguishing Japan and the colonies in East Asia...
in 1920.
Structural Hierarchy
- PrefecturePrefectures of JapanThe prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 subnational jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "circuit" , Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures , Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures . In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as...
(州)- CityCities of Japan||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
(市)- TownTowns of JapanA town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...
(町)
- Town
- DistrictDistricts of JapanThe was most recently used as an administrative unit in Japan between 1878 and 1921 and is roughly equivalent to the county of the United States, ranking at the level below prefecture and above city, town or village. As of 2008, cities belong directly to prefectures and are independent from...
(郡)- Town (街)
- VillageVillages of JapanA is a local administrative unit in Japan.It is a local public body along with , , and . Geographically, a village's extent is contained within a prefecture....
(庄) - Aboriginal Area (蕃地)
- City
- Prefecture (廳)
- City (市)
- Subprefecture (支廳)
- Town (街)
- Village (庄)
- Aboriginal Area (蕃地)
List of Prefectures and Counties
| Prefecture | Japanese | Wade-Giles Wade-Giles Wade–Giles , sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a romanization system for the Mandarin Chinese language. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Wade during the mid-19th century , and was given completed form with Herbert Giles' Chinese–English dictionary of 1892.Wade–Giles was the most... (Chinese) |
|---|---|---|
| Taihoku Prefecture Taihoku Prefecture Taihoku Prefecture was created in 1920 under Japanese rule, encompassing what is now New Taipei City, Taipei City, Keelung City and Yilan County. Its office, which is now occupied by the Control Yuan of the Republic of China, was in Taipei City... |
台北州 | Taipei |
| Shinchiku Prefecture Shinchiku Prefecture was one of the administrative divisions of Taiwan during the Japanese rule. The prefecture consisted of modern day Hsinchu, Taoyuan County, Hsinchu County, and Miaoli County.-Population:1941 census.*Total population: 838,011**Japanese 20,693... |
新竹州 | Hsinchu |
| Taichū Prefecture | 台中州 | Taichung |
| Tainan Prefecture | 台南州 | Tainan |
| Takao Prefecture Takao Prefecture was one of the administrative divisions of Taiwan during the Japanese rule. The prefecture consisted of modern day Kaohsiung City and Pingtung County.-Population:1941 census.*Total population: 930,383**Japanese 59,633**Taiwanese 863,313... |
高雄州 | Kaohsiung |
| Taitō Prefecture | 台東廳 | Taitung |
| Karenkō Prefecture | 花蓮港廳 | Hualien Harbor |
| Hōko Prefecture* | 澎湖廳 | Penghu |
- divided from Takao Prefecture in 1926
Changes in 1945
When the Republic of ChinaRepublic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
began to rule Taiwan in 1945, the government simply changed the names of the divisions and gave names to the Aboriginal areas.
- Prefecture (州) -> County (縣)
- City (市)
- Town (町) -> District (區)
- District (郡) -> District (區)
- Town (街) -> Urban township (鎮)
- Village (庄) -> Rural township (鄉)
- Aboriginal Area (蕃地) -> Rural Township (鄉)
- City (市)
- Prefecture (廳) -> County (縣)
- City (市)
- Subprefecture (支廳) -> District (區)
- Town (街) -> Urban Township (鎮)
- Village (庄) -> Rural Township (鄉)
- Aboriginal Area (蕃地) -> Rural Township (鄉)
See also
- Prefectures of JapanPrefectures of JapanThe prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 subnational jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "circuit" , Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures , Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures . In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as...
- Administrative divisions of the Republic of China
- List of Governor-General of Taiwan