(Written by Reporter Fang Cheng from Military News Agency, Taipei, September 9th)

    President Ma, Ying-Jeou attended “Book Launch and Forum Commemorating the Victory in the 70th Anniversary of the War of Resistance against Japan and the Retrocession of Taiwan” held by Society for the Strategic Studies, R.O.C. today, hoping that such event would allow the general public to understand the truth of resistance against Japan and the history of Taiwanese people resisting Japan. President Ma said that 70 years ago at 9am on September 9, 1945, General He Yingqin, Chief Commander of the Army, represented the R.O.C. government and Chairman Chiang Kai-shek, the Supreme Commander in the Chinese war zone, to accept the surrender of General Yasuji Okamura, Commander-in-chief of the Japanese army at the auditorium of the former site of the Central Military Academy in Nanjing. Although the ceremony only took less than 20 minutes, it represented the meaningful and unforgettable result in exchange for the sacrifice of numerous soldiers and civilians and great loss of property. It had a particular significance for the Society for Strategic Studies, R.O.C. to choose this moment to hold the book launch.

    President Ma indicated that after the Japanese army submitted the surrender at Tokyo Bay, the surrender ceremony took place at 15 war zones in China respectively. “It is the military that accepted the surrender, which is very important”, said President Ma. Director Wang, Wen-Hsieh from the Society for Strategic Studies, R.O.C. strove to compile Truth of Chinese War of Resistance against Japan to let the general public to understand who led and engaged in the war. In the edition, many contents were added. Among these contents, “Taiwanese generals in the war of resistance against Japan” was particularly worth mentioning. President Ma further explained that during the war, although Taiwan was a colony of Japan, it was not absent from this anti-aggression and anti-colony war against Japan. He indicated Taiwanese generals mentioned in the book, including General Li, You-Bang, who organized Taiwan Voluntary Troop to fight against Japan along the coasts of Fujian and Zhejiang in a form of guerilla, General Chiu, Nien-Tai, who organized “Eastern Service Troop” in Guangdong, and General Li, Wan-Chu, who participated in “Institute of International Studies”; General Chou Hung, who owned the highest rank in the middle-ranked Taiwanese generals, once served as Deputy Commander-in-chief of the 35th Army; Huang, Kuo-Shu, one of top five Taiwanese generals-later became the first Taiwanese President of the Legislative Yuan, R.O.C., and General Chen, Lan-Feng, General Wang, Min-Ning, General Su, Shao-Wen, and General Chen, Han-Ping; and General Liu, Chi-Kuan once participated in the underground anti-Japan organization led by Lin, Hsien-Tang and Chiang, Wei-Shui. These added facts showed that Taiwanese ancestors did contribute to the war of resistance against Japan.

    President Ma indicated that some people thought that Taiwan did not join the war under the rule of Japan. In fact, Taiwanese people’s resistance against Japan happened 30 years earlier than people in Mainland China. In 1895, Ching Empire signed the Treaty of Maguan and ceded Taiwan to Japan. In May, the Japanese army landed Taiwan and resulted in Japanese invasion of Taiwan. This war was more intense and caused more casualties than the First Sino-Japanese War. President Ma took Chiang, Shao-Tzu’s resistance against Japan for example. Chiang participated in many battles and the counterattack of Hsinchu City. Due to insufficient participants and equipment, Chiang was arrested. Before committing suicide by taking poison, Chiang composed a poem to state his ambition and demonstrate unbending righteousness. He died in an age of 19. His sacrifice for the country was admirable. Speaking of the truth of Taiwan’s resistance against Japan, President Ma said after September 3, 2015, the western mainstream media mentioned that the war was led by the Nationalist Government. In recent years, the government strove to clarify these facts to let more people understand the truth. In the book Forgotten Ally published in 2014 by British Professor Rana Mitter from University of Oxford, this history is clearly discoursed, “The Republic of China insists on non-surrender or compromise, which makes the Japanese army not able to fully engage in the Pacific war zones. At the same time, allies have victories in Asia and Europe, which is mostly credited to endless fights between China and Japan.” The abovementioned comments from the historian and reports on the war or resistance against Japan by the media could help communities understand the history more.

    President Ma showed that starting from July 2015 the government has awarded medals commemorating the victory in the war of resistance against Japan to veterans who have once participated in the war, regardless in Taiwan, overseas, or Mainland China. As of today, more than 6,000 medals have been issued, among which more than 400 medals were issued to veterans in Mainland China. President Ma appealed to Mainland China to take good care of these veterans and truly fulfill the deeds of “facing the history on a factual basis; facing veterans based on empathy”. Presidential Advisor of Office of the President Hu, Wei-Chen, Secretary-general of Office of the President Tseng, Yong-Chuan, Kao, Secretary-general of National Security Council Hua-Chu, Gao Guangqi, and Minister of Ministry of National Defense, and Director of the Society for Strategic Studies, R.O.C. Wang, Wen-Hsieh attended the event.