Imperial Gateway: Colonial Taiwan and Japan's Expansion in South China and Southeast Asia, 1895–1945

by Seiji Shirane

In Imperial Gateway, Seiji Shirane explores the political, social, and economic significance of colonial Taiwan in the southern expansion of Japan's empire from 1895 to the end of World War II. Challenging understandings of empire that focus on bilateral relations between metropole and colonial periphery, Shirane uncovers a half century of dynamic relations between Japan, Taiwan, China, and Western regional powers. Japanese officials in Taiwan did not simply take orders from Tokyo; rather, they often pursued their own expansionist ambitions in South China and Southeast Asia. When outright conquest was not possible, they promoted alternative strategies, including naturalizing resident Chinese as overseas Taiwanese subjects, extending colonial police networks, and deploying tens of thousands of Taiwanese to war. The Taiwanese—merchants, gangsters, policemen, interpreters, nurses, and soldiers—seized new opportunities for socioeconomic advancement that did not always align with Japan's imperial interests. Drawing on multilingual archives in six countries, Imperial Gateway shows how Japanese officials and Taiwanese subjects transformed Taiwan into a regional gateway for expansion in an ever-shifting international order.

Thanks to generous funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities Open Book Program and its participation in TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem), the ebook editions of this book are available as Open Access volumes from Cornell Open and other repositories.

Genres: History, Japan, Nonfiction

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 15, 2022

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a little more than 150 pages of narrative text Shirane provided a comprehensive and textured discussion of the manner in which the colonial government of Taiwan fostered the expansion of Japanese control over increasing swaths of territory in China and SE Asia. He accomplished this in many ways one would like to see in a scholarly work.

First, and foremost, he reviewed and integrated information from a very wide array of primary and secondary sources. These were in 3 languages: English, Japanese, and Chinese. Proof of this is the fact that the book has a Selected Bibliography that is 58 pages long.

Second, the author consistently noted the sources of his information in the narrative. Thus, there are 67 pages of notes at the end of the book.

Third, his argument is very well organized. Each chapter is devoted to a particular territory into which the Japanese expanded. In order to develop a focused, carefully enunciated description there are sections in each chapter which disclosed the different aspects of how the Japanese run Taiwanese government tried to accomplish its goals. At various points he would offer a comparison of the methods used in Korea and Manchuria versus those used in the Southern colonies. This was quite instructive.

Fourth, Shirane did some things to enhance IG’s readability. His prose largely consisted of direct, declarative sentences. Including a significant number of photos of some of the individuals discussed and a few maps and tables helped to visualize what he was presenting. He also provided the Japanese or Chinese terms in parentheses after some of the concepts presented.

I have two modest criticisms of IG. First, so many individuals are discussed that it can sometimes feel like TMI. Second, as one progresses through the book it gets redundant in places. IMHO, some more careful editing could have improved it.

Overall, however, I recommend this book with two provisos. First, while it is not necessary a general foundation of information about Imperial Japan would make IG more worthwhile. Second, the reader should have the patience to work through the chapters slowly enough to grasp the nuances which Shirane presented. Those who do this will be well rewarded with an in-depth understanding.

This is an impressive first book. I look forward to reading what Shirane might publish next.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taiwan's role in Japan's imperial expansion is often overlooked compared to Korea. This is a particularly interesting when it comes to Taiwan's elevated position vis a vis the other colonies while still being subordinate to the metropole and how this unique status was used to exploit soft power influence.

[East West Notes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic overview covering issues such as nationality, language, identity, and tensions between a 'mother land' and an 'ancestral land.'

"Examining Taiwanese roles in the Asia-Pacific wars allows us to better understand the historical context of war memories, identities, and nationalisms that resulted from Japan’s southern advance."

[Michael Paone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this in about 60 or so hours, so take this with a grain of salt. This is a short book that covers a lot of ground. If you are interested in the topic of Taiwan under Japanese rule, this book is great. Otherwise, this book might be too academic and dry for your average history enjoyer, even given it’s short length.

[Felix Sun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would rate this 4 stars, because of heavy repetition on the text. The book could be 5% shorter, however, I learned so much on the topic from this book. An eye opener. I must also highlight that it feels objective, there is no self-shaming, no finger pointing to outsiders.

[Frederick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a remarkable piece of research on a topic that I had never known about. It is very interesting to realize the activity that preceded Japan's bid for dominance in the Pacific. I recommend it for students of World War II.