Government-General of Taiwan

For the government rules Taiwan since 1945, see Government of the Republic of China.

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Government-General of Taiwan
Agency overview
臺灣總督府 Taiwan Sōtokufu (Japanese) Tâi-oân Chóng-tok-hú (Taiwanese)
Seal of the Government-General

Formed	8 May 1895 (1895-05-08)
Preceding agency	Fukien-Taiwan Provincial Administration, Qing Empire
Dissolved	25 October 1945 (1945-10-25)
Superseding agency	Taiwan Provincial Government
Headquarters	1 Chōme, Bunbu Chō, Taihoku, Taihoku Prefecture, Japanese Taiwan (臺北州臺北市文武町一丁目)
Agency executive	Governor-General of Taiwan
Key document	Constitution of the Empire of Japan
Footnotes
Sometimes also translated to Government of Taiwan, Taiwan Government. The western name Formosa was also used occasionally.

Government of Taiwan

Chinese name

Traditional Chinese

臺灣總督府

Transcriptions
Hakka
Pha̍k-fa-sṳ	Thòi-vân Chúng-tuk-fú
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ	Tâi-oân Chóng-tok-hú
Tâi-lô	Tâi-uân Tsóng-tok-hú

Japanese name

Kana

たいわんそうとくふ

Kyūjitai

臺灣總督府

Shinjitai

台湾総督府

Transcriptions
Romanization	Taiwan Sōtokufu

The Government-General of Taiwan (Government of Taiwan, Taiwan Government, Government of Formosa, Japanese: 台湾総督府, Kyūjitai: 臺灣總督府, Hepburn: Taiwan Sōtokufu; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tâi-oân Chóng-tok-hú; Tâi-lô: Tâi-uân Tsóng-tok-hú; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ=Thòi-vân Chúng-tuk-fú) was the government that governed Taiwan under Japanese rule between 1895 and 1945.

History

The Government-General of Taiwan was founded on May 10, 1895, two days after the Treaty of Shimonoseki was enforced. It started to rule Taiwan since June 17, 1895 after the Japanese forces took over Taiwan. On August 15, 1945, with the surrender of Japan, the organizations of Government-General was transformed to the newly established Taiwan Provincial Government and Taiwan Garrison Command. The transformation was completed on February 20, 1946.

Organization and structure

Governor-General

Chief of General Affairs

The Chief of General Affairs (Japanese: 總務長官, Hepburn: Sōmu Chōkan, Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chóng-bū Tiúⁿ-koaⁿ), named Chief of Civil Affairs (Japanese: 民政長官, Hepburn: Minsei Chōkan, Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Bîn-chèng Tiúⁿ-koaⁿ) before 1919, was the primary executor of the policy in Taiwan, and the second most powerful official after the Governor-General.

Internal Departments

In 1895, the Government-General was founded with three departments: Department of Civil Affairs, Department of Army, Department of Navy. The military departments are to prepare the warfare with the rebellions in Taiwan. The Departments of Army and Navy were soon merged into Department of Military Affairs in 1896. With the Civil-Military divide in the 1910s, the Department of Military Affairs were reorganized as the Taiwan Army Command under Imperial Japanese Army. All bureaus under the Department of Civil Affairs became independents departments under the Government-General, and the Chief of Civil Affairs (then Chief of General Affairs) became a role similar to a head of Government.

At the end of Japanese rule, the Government-General has the following organs.

Structure of the Government-General in 1945
Name	Kanji	Japanese	Taiwanese
Secretariat to the Governor-General	總督官房	Sōtoku Kanbō	Chóng-tok Koaⁿ-pâng
Department of Education	文教局	Bunkyō Kyoku	Bûn-kàu Kio̍k
Department of Finance	財務局	Zaimu Kyoku	Châi-bū Kio̍k
Department of Mines and Industry	礦工局	Kōkō Kyoku	Khòng-kong Kio̍k
Department of Agriculture and Commerce	農商局	Nōshō Kyoku	Lông-siong Kio̍k
Department of Police	警務局	Keimu Kyoku	Kéng-bū Kio̍k
Bureau of Foreign Affairs	外事部	Gaiji Bu	Gōa-sū Pō͘
Bureau of Judicial Affairs	法務部	Hōmu Bu	Hoat-bū Pō͘

External Departments

There is a large number of external departments of the Government-General. Notable departments are

Courts
- Taiwan High Court and 5 District Courts (Taihoku, Shinchiku, Taichū, Tainan, Takao)
- Taiwan High Prosecutors Office and 5 prosecutors offices in the district courts
Department of Transportation
- Railway Bureau
- Communications Bureau (for postal and telecommunications)
Monopoly Bureau (for opium, salt, camphor, liquor and tobacco)
Port Bureau
- Takao Port Authority
- Kīrun Port Authority
Higher Education
- Taihoku Imperial University
- Taihoku College of Commerce
- Taihoku College of Technology
- Taihoku College
- Taichū College of Agriculture
- Tainan College of Technology
Imperial Taiwan Library
Governmental Hospital
Shintō shrines
- Taiwan Grand Shrine

Local government

Main article: Political divisions of Taiwan (1895–1945)

In 1945, Taiwan was divided to 8 prefectures. They are: Taihoku Prefecture, Shinchiku Prefecture, Taichū Prefecture, Tainan Prefecture, Takao Prefecture, Karenkō Prefecture, Taitō Prefecture, and Hōko Prefecture. The prefectures are further divided into 11 cities, 52 districts, and 2 subprefectures.

Governmental buildings

Main articles: Presidential Office Building (Republic of China) and Qing Dynasty Taiwan Provincial Administration Hall

After the Treaty of Shimonoseki was enforced from May 8, 1895, the Empire of Japan started to rule Taiwan. In the early years, the Government-General was seated in the former Fukien-Taiwan Provincial Administration Hall build by the Qing Empire in 1892.

The new governmental building was planned in 1907 by the 5th Governor-General Sakuma Samata. Construction began on June 1, 1912, and was completed on March 31, 1919, at a cost of 2.8 million Japanese yen. The new building of the Government-General, now named Presidential Office Building, is still being used as the office of the President of the Republic of China after World War II.

The residence of the Governor-General of Taiwan is known today as Taipei Guest House.