Come up with a topic for me - Essay Example

For Japan to get involved in international politics on the same platform as Western powers, she had to extend her territory with Taiwan. The Sino-Japanese War won by Japan helped the country acquire Taiwan, which was initially under Japanese rule. China’s defeat in the hands of Japan compelled Qing Empire cede Taiwan to Japan (Ching 7). A group of Taiwanese refused to accept the takeover, and Japan spent six months fighting local guerilla armies. Japan lost many soldiers to diseases, not bullet wounds.

The Japanese imperial powers recognized that tackling disease had to be a primary concern. In the initial two decades of the Japanese rule, significant progresses were made in public health (Jacobs 47). The Japanese rule built health centers and equipped them with facilities to help in fighting disease. The development of the health sector in Taiwan is attributed to Japanese rule that invested a lot of resources in the sector. Even though there were many political groups agitating for reforms and a parliament in Taiwan during the time of Japanese rule, these did not signify an anti-Japanese attitude among the people of Taiwan.

The industrial and economic development caused by the Japanese administration led to the improvement of the living standards of the Taiwanese (Jacobs 47). There were a lot of pro-Japanese emotions on the part of many Taiwanese people of that time. Some people were skeptical of the Japanese rule since they appeared to push for their interests more than that of Taiwan. As the Japanese improved Taiwanese exports and commerce, the Taiwan economy boomed to an unprecedented height (Fell 16). The Japanese built roads, harbors, rail, power plants, factories, and a sewage system for the people of Taiwan.

There was an introduction of capitalism where the Japanese enterprises competed in the production of sugar and rice with small-scale farmers. The Japanese government played a critical role in improving the economy