Land and Economic Policies of Japan in the Colonial Taiwan Frontier: A Case Study on the Da-Nanao Plain

Abstract

After the first Sino- Japanese war in 1895, Japan finally realized possession of Taiwan. As Taiwan was Japan's first overseas colony, Japanese intentions were to turn the island into a model colony.” In order to more reasonably manage the land, the Japanese authority started to census the plain, forest and wilderness land. According to Japanese survey, about three-quarters of the land were in the hands of Japanese colonialists. Japanese colonial regime conducted its capitalism strategy at these public lands were mostly located in Taiwan frontier , including not only central mountains and its surrounding areas ,but also the Eastern Taiwan. This paper reviews the history of colonialism and further explores political and economic process of regional development on Taiwan frontier. It takes the case of the Da-Nanao plain and discusses how land policy influenced regional development and change during the Japanese colonial era. Apparently, even though such a wilderness frontier also follows the rule that the colony is designed to supply the colonist resources and materials needed.