The Taiwanese served in Japan during World War II

The Taiwanese in uniform of the Imperial Japanese Army

The Taiwanese island, formerly known as Formosa, was occupied by Japan in 1895 after the war with China. During World War II, the Japanese included about 210,000 Taiwanese, including more than 30,000 dead in the Pacific, and about 20,000 were reported missing.

Initially, the Japanese authorities recruited civilian workers known as Gunzoku (a total of more than 120,000 people) who served various auxiliary functions, and also served as personnel in prisoner-of-war camps. In April 1942, the Army commander general, and in August 1943 the Navy approved a plan to create volunteer units composed of the Taiwanese. They were called the Special Volunteers of the Army and the Special Forces of the Navy. In 1942, the units of the Taiwanese were named Takasago Volunteer Branches. They numbered several thousand people. They fought with the Americans in the Philippines, having in many cases been very brave and courageous. In September 1944, when the military situation in Japan became increasingly deteriorating, a compulsory collection was carried out in Taiwan, which brought about 22,000 soldiers, assigned to various parts of the Japanese armed forces. It is interesting to note that several Taiwanese were also among the kamikaze pilots. A number of the Taiwanese also served in the secret police of Kempeitai.

Most of the Taiwanese residents were obliged to work in work and construction units, where they were often treated badly and performed very hard physical work.

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