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Petition Movement for the Establishment of a Taiwanese Parliament

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Petitioners from Taiwan in front of a railway station in Tōkyō, 1924

The Petition Movement for the Establishment of a Taiwanese Parliament (or alternatively translated ... Taiwan Representative Assembly, Taiwan Parliament Petition League Movement) was a political campaign during the first half of the 20th Century in the Japanese rule period. It was initiated by the New People Society (新民會), an organization founded by Taiwanese students studying in Japan, to advocate for the establishment of an autonomous parliament in Taiwan through petitions to the Japanese Imperial Diet. This movement marked a turning point for Taiwan's resistance against Japanese rule, shifting from armed resistance to modern-style political activism. It not only contributed to the development of the rule of law and the pursuit of constitutional values in Taiwan, but also influenced the Japanese government to introduce partial elections for half of the members of the Diet in 1935,[1] initiating local autonomous governance in Taiwan.

The movement was led by Rin Kendō of the Taiwanese Cultural Association, who founded the League for the Establishment of a Formosan Parliament in 1923. The group delivered their last petition in 1934, without accomplishing their goal.[2][3] Limited local elections were held in 1935. It was the longest political movement during the Japanese occupation period of Taiwan.[4]: 導言頁9 .

Its origins can be traced back to the "Law 63 Repealing Movement" in 1918. At that time, newspaper editor Lin Cheng-lu (林呈祿) believed that the authoritarian system established by the Law 63 undermined Taiwan's uniqueness and independence. Based on the spirit of Japanese constitutional politics, he proposed shifting the direction of the movement towards advocating for the establishment of a Taiwanese parliament to restore legislative authority to the people from the Taiwan Governor-General's Office.[5][6][7]

Starting from January 30, 1921, when the first Petition for the Establishment of the Taiwan Parliament was submitted to the Imperial Diet, the movement lasted for 14 years and involved 15 petition submissions. The initial participants were primarily Taiwanese students in Tokyo.[8][9] During the preparations for the third petition movement, the Taiwan Parliament Period Alliance (臺灣議會期成同盟會) was established. However, it was banned by Taiwan Governor-General Den Kenjiro due to concerns about its impact on social order, leading to the Incident of Security Maintenance (治警事件).[10] Subsequently, the movement gained support from Japanese public opinion and sympathy from Taiwanese citizens, resulting in an increase in participants. However, after the dissolution of the Taiwanese People's Party (台灣民眾黨) in 1931 and the fascist suppression from the Japanese colonial government, the movement was officially terminated in 1934 due to the loss of supporting organizations.[10]

References

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  1. ^ Chou, Ming (2006). "臺灣地方自治的第一聲獅吼－「臺灣地方自治聯盟」實現投票選舉的意義" [The First Roar of Local Autonomy in Taiwan - The Significance of the 'Taiwan Local Autonomy Alliance' Realizing Voting Elections.]. 臺灣民主的興起與變遷學術研討會論文集 [Proceedings of the Academic Symposium on the Rise and Transformation of Democracy in Taiwan]. Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council.
  2. ^ Hao, Zhidong (2010). Whither Taiwan and Mainland China: National Identity, the State and Intellectuals. Hong Kong University Press. p. 32. ISBN 9789622091009.
  3. ^ Nakano, Ryoko (2013). Beyond the Western Liberal Order: Yanaihara Tadao and Empire as Society. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 102. ISBN 9781137290502.
  4. ^ 周婉窈 (1989). 日據時代的臺灣議會設置請願運動 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 台北: 自立報系文化出版部. ISBN 9789575960131.
  5. ^ Chen, Tsui-Lien (2003). "抵抗與屈從之外：以日治時期自治主義路線為主的探討" [Beyond Resistance and Compliance:A Study of the Home Rule Movement in Taiwan under Japanese ruled]. Taiwan Journal of Political Science (18). Department of Political Science, National Taiwan University.
  6. ^ Yu, Chung-Hsin (2002). 日治時期六三法制對臺灣法治政治的影響 [The Impact of the 1936 Legal System in Taiwan during the Japanese occupation Period on the Rule of Law]. Graduate Institute of Nationalism Studies, National Taiwan Normal University.
  7. ^ The Police Bureau of the Office of the Governor-General, ed. (1989). 臺灣社會運動史 [History of Social Movements in Taiwan (1913-1936)]. Translated by Wang, Nai-Hsin. Taipei: Creative Publishing. ISBN 9867359100.
  8. ^ 狂飆的年代：1920年代臺灣的政治、社會與文化運動 [The Roaring Era: Political, Social, and Cultural Movements in Taiwan in the 1920s]. Taipei: Nisshinsha Cultural Enterprises Limited. 2006. ISBN 9868125170.
  9. ^ Wakabayashi, Masahisa (2007). 臺灣抗日運動史研究 [Research on the History of Anti-Japanese Movements in Taiwan]. Translated by The Taiwan History Japanese Historical Materials Reading Group. Taipei: Sower Publisher. ISBN 9789576966248.
  10. ^ a b Chou, Wan-Yao (1989). 日據時代的臺灣議會設置請願運動 [The Taiwan Parliament Establishment Petition Movement during the Japanese Occupation]. Taipei: Independence Evening Post Cultural Publishing Division. ISBN 9789575960131.

See also

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