Ma Ying-jeou on the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan

Former Taiwan leader condemns the current Democratic Progressive Party leader William Ching-te Lai's disregard of history and obsequiousness toward Japan.

China, including the Communist Party-run People’s Republic of China and its predecessor, the Kuomingtang/Nationalists-run Republic of China, commemorates the Victory of the War of Resistance against Japan in World War II on September 3.

Below are the three most recent posts by Ma Ying-jeou, leader of Taiwan - officially President of the Republic of China - from 2008 to 2016, on his Meta/Facebook account, related to the subject as the 80th anniversary draws closer.

August 29

The Chinese Nation Must Never Forget the History of the War of Resistance; Lai Ching-te Has Failed the Sacrifices of Taiwan’s Predecessors

Today, I am honored to attend the Symposium Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan and the Recovery of Taiwan, organized by the Kuomintang (KMT), in my capacity as former President of the Republic of China and former Chairman of the KMT. Together with all of you, I join in solemn remembrance of a chapter in our history that was arduous and painful, yet also glorious and worthy of tears—the War of Resistance.

The eight-year War of Resistance Against Japan, from 1937 (the 26th year of the Republic of China) to 1945 (the 34th year of the Republic), was a monumental event in modern Chinese history. It was a war that determined the survival of the nation and helped safeguard global peace. In terms of scale, manpower and material mobilization, geographic breadth, duration, and the staggering toll in casualties and losses, it was an unprecedented conflict in modern Chinese history. Despite the overwhelming disparity in military strength between China and Japan, with virtually no chance of victory, the government of the Republic of China resolutely refused to surrender or compromise. The entire nation—its military and civilian population—fought tenaciously and with blood and sacrifice. On the Chinese mainland battlefield, our forces pinned down 800,000 modernized Japanese troops, preventing them from being fully deployed to the Pacific front and thereby thwarting their plan to join forces with Nazi Germany’s Hitler in the Middle East. This contribution to the Allied victory in World War II is indelible and enduring.

Furthermore, Taiwan’s resistance to Japanese rule began at least 30 years earlier than that of the mainland. Following the Qing dynasty’s defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895 and its cession of Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, the people of Taiwan began a long and unbroken resistance. From early armed uprisings led by patriots such as Qiu Fengjia, Jiang Shaozu, Luo Fuxing, Lin Zumou, and Mona Rudao, to the peaceful movements for autonomy and democracy led by figures like Lin Xiantang, Chiang Wei-shui, and Liao Jin-ping, and later, during the war itself, the contributions of Li Youbang, Qiu Nientai, Lian Zhendong, and many others—countless Taiwanese forebears dedicated their lives and shed their blood in the struggle against invasion and colonialism.

These historical facts make clear that, although Taiwan was a Japanese colony for fifty years, the patriotic martyrs of that era never swore allegiance to Japan. Their unwavering loyalty was to their ancestral homeland. The people of Taiwan were steadfast in their resolve to resist Japanese rule until Taiwan was restored to China—i.e., the Republic of China—in 1945. It is fair to say that without victory in the War of Resistance, there would have been no recovery of Taiwan, and the Republic of China would not enjoy the peace and prosperity it does today. This historical truth cannot be selectively distorted or forgotten by anyone.

Today, in commemorating the 80th anniversary of the War of Resistance victory and the restoration of Taiwan, our purpose is not to provoke hatred or settle historical scores. Rather, it is to remember the lessons of history, condemn aggression, prevent future wars, and pursue lasting peace. Unfortunately, the current Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government refuses to acknowledge this history of resistance. President Lai Ching-te chooses to focus on the European theater of World War II, uses the Japanese euphemism 終戰 “end of the war,” and deliberately avoids mentioning the War of Resistance, thereby downplaying the atrocities committed by Japan. In seeking to ingratiate themselves with Japan, they forget the humiliation and sacrifices of our people. This is a grave disservice to the Taiwanese forebears who resisted Japanese aggression and oppression. As a former President of the Republic of China, I must denounce President Lai’s inappropriate actions and urge him to solemnly apologize to the people of Taiwan.

I hereby solemnly appeal: all sons and daughters of China, all descendants of the Huaxia civilization, must never forget this painful chapter of Japan’s invasion of China—especially the fate-altering suffering endured by innocent civilians, such as the elderly grandmothers who served as “comfort women,” and who still await a formal apology from the Japanese government. Countless Chinese lives were lost to Japan’s brutal aggression. As members of the Chinese nation, we must never allow this history—stained with blood and humiliation—to be erased, distorted, forgotten, or trivialized.

At this moment, on the 80th anniversary of our victory in the War of Resistance and the recovery of Taiwan, I hope that all people can revisit this history and draw its lessons. Most importantly, President Lai Ching-te must remember the sacrifices of those who gave their lives in the eight-year war against Japan, including the Taiwanese who perished resisting Japanese colonial rule. Let us work hand-in-hand so that the people of Taiwan will never again suffer the ravages of war, and so that both sides of the Taiwan Strait may enjoy lasting peace and shared prosperity.

Thank you all.

August 15

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan. It is deeply regrettable—and both infuriating and disappointing—that President Lai Ching-te, in his Facebook post, mentioned only the 終戰 “end of the war” while deliberately avoiding any reference to the War of Resistance itself.

The victory over Japan carries profound significance for the Republic of China. Yet President Lai has intentionally downplayed the atrocities committed by Japan during the war. In his eagerness to curry favor with Japan, he has chosen to forget the humiliation and sacrifices endured by our people. By doing so, he has disqualified himself from serving as President of the Republic of China.

Just yesterday, I reminded the Lai administration that it must not ignore the plight of the comfort women merely to appease the Japanese government. Yet today, President Lai went further, distorting history altogether. He spoke at length about the European theater of World War II while conspicuously avoiding any mention of the War of Resistance Against Japan. His actions deliberately whitewash Japan’s aggression against China, sever and distort our historical memory, and reflect a shameful willingness to prostrate before Japan. This is profoundly heartbreaking and enraging.

Japan’s brutal invasion of China led to the deaths of countless compatriots. As a member of the Chinese nation, I assert that this history—stained with blood and humiliation—must never be erased or distorted, and must never be forgotten or trivialized. Has President Lai Ching-te already forgotten the constitutional oath he took upon assuming office as President of the Republic of China?

All sons and daughters of the Chinese nation must never forget this chapter of history. I call on President Lai Ching-te to firmly remember the compatriots who sacrificed their lives in the eight-year War of Resistance Against Japan, including the Taiwanese who perished while resisting Japanese colonial rule. Otherwise, no matter how much President Lai speaks of “Taiwanese values” or “Taiwanese identity,” it will amount to nothing more than cheap political rhetoric—revealing that he harbors no genuine concern for the people of Taiwan.

August 14

Today is the International Memorial Day for “Comfort Women.” Originally, I was supposed to be in Tainan—home to the only comfort woman memorial statue in Taiwan—to commemorate this painful chapter of history. However, due to the potential impact of Typhoon Khanun on Tainan and out of concern for public safety, the planned memorial ceremony was canceled. I am therefore issuing this statement to mourn and reflect on this tragic past.

During World War II, the Japanese military systematically established “comfort stations” alongside its troops to satisfy the sexual demands of its soldiers, opening the darkest and most tragic chapter in the history of women in East Asia. At the time, the Japanese army forcibly recruited women through kidnapping, coercion, and deceit from regions including the Chinese mainland, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaya, and Taiwan to serve as “comfort women” for the military. Estimates suggest that approximately 200,000 women each from China and Korea were victimized; several thousand from the Philippines, Malaya, and Indonesia; and between 1,200 and 2,000 from Taiwan. The total number is estimated to exceed 400,000. Postwar investigations revealed that over 70% of these “comfort women” died in war zones.

On January 4, 1996, the United Nations Human Rights Commission released a report on the “comfort women” issue, in which the word “forced” appeared 15 times. The report identified these women as military sexual slaves and officially recognized the crimes as violations of humanitarian principles by the Japanese military.

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In November 2008, shortly after I assumed the presidency in May of that year, Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan passed 《臺灣慰安婦決議文》a resolution on Taiwanese comfort women, demanding an official apology and compensation from the Japanese government. The South Korean National Assembly followed suit with a similar resolution in September 2012.

Yet despite the now-global consensus that the “comfort women” system constituted a crime of sexual slavery, the Japanese government still refuses to face the truth and acknowledge its wrongdoing. Some Japanese politicians even go so far as to deny the existence of these historical facts or claim that the evidence is insufficient. What’s even more infuriating is that some voices in Taiwan still claim that these women volunteered—an attitude and rhetoric that is tantamount to rubbing salt into the wounds of the grandmothers who suffered such pain, and is utterly immoral.

This year marks both the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan and the recovery of Taiwan. Ten years ago on this day, then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered an apology during a commemorative event for Japan’s invasions and colonialism across Asia during World War II. But when it came to comfort women, he merely said that “many women’s dignity and honor were deeply harmed during the war” and that “they will be remembered”—yet stopped short of issuing an apology. I sincerely hope that current Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will take a different path and demonstrate to the world Japan’s sincerity and courage in facing this painful chapter of history.

At the same time, I must once again criticize the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration. From Tsai Ing-wen to Lai Ching-te, they have repeatedly emphasized the importance of transitional justice, yet fall completely silent when it comes to the issue of “comfort women.” They have even gone so far as to deliberately erase the history of the comfort women and downplay the Taiwanese people’s resistance to Japanese colonial rule. This blatant disregard for history and trampling of human rights constitutes a second injury to the Taiwanese victims of the comfort women system. In November 2021, during Tsai Ing-wen’s presidency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs unilaterally removed language from the national budget calling for the defense of compensation claims by Taiwanese comfort women—groveling before the Japanese government in a way that is utterly disgraceful.

As for President Lai Ching-te: he has time to pursue costly and divisive recall campaigns that tear the nation apart, but remains utterly silent on the issue of comfort women. He excels at political infighting, but shows neither the will nor the compassion to defend the rights of the elderly Taiwanese grandmothers who were brutalized by foreign occupiers. Recently, the core technological secrets of TSMC were stolen by a Japanese company, yet the Lai administration has done nothing in response. This combination of obsequiousness toward Japan and cold cruelty toward the comfort women is a profound betrayal of the trust placed in them by the people of this nation.

In recent years, Taiwan’s surviving comfort women have passed away one after another. In May 2023, the last of them died, still having never received an official apology or compensation from the Japanese government. We must continue to fight for their rightful dignity, justice, and transitional accountability. For while the aggressor’s errors may eventually be forgiven, the truth of history must never be forgotten. Nor can the suffering of these grandmothers ever be erased from memory.

The Japanese government must demonstrate true responsibility by apologizing to and compensating Taiwanese victims of the comfort women system. Only then can the historical wounds begin to heal.