Japanese Militarism in Early Colonial Taiwan: Two Dissidents Muted – the Takano and Isawa Cases

Through the examination of Taiwan’s early colonial administration and the Isawa and Takano study cases, we will clarify the nature and purposes of the colony’s acquisition. In addition, we will be able to disperse the outdated economy-centered and demographic theories that many historians espoused to explain Japan’s drive for colonies. This study, through an examination of secondary and primary sources, makes a contribution to colonial studies. Thus, the aim of this paper is to fill the gap and enrich the content, context, and the general understanding of the dynamics and events of the Age of New Imperialism and beyond.