Taiwan Church News 3207 Edition August 12 - August 18, 2013 Headline News Reported by Chen Yi-hsuan In response to a recent decision by Taiwan's central government, instructing each official institution to use "JapaneseOccupation" instead of "Japanese Rule" in the official document or papers, Tainan City Government gave her different voice in a routine town hall meeting on August 7th. Education Bureau Chief, Zeng Ban-zen, raised a extempore motion, proposing that a term of "Japanese Occupation" decreed by Executive Yuan went against Taiwan history. City Mayor, Lai Chin-der, concurred this motion and commented that such request from central government was not only withoutany necessity or even legitimacy, but would only incur disputes and inconvienieces. Lai remarked that the paper or documents of Tainan City Government would still carry on using "Japanese Rule" to refer the past history, and not constrained by a neologism from decrees above. Lai explained: the reason, why the terms has to be stipulated same in official paper, is never without legal consideration and always legislated by the congress. Lai felt very puzzled why the the highest administration would like to step across the red line and incur so many disputes? Zeng pointed out, the reason why "Japanese Rule" was preferred than "Japanese Occupation", was due to an awakeness ofTaiwanese Homeland Consciousness from 1980. This train of thought also made many scholars start to propose "Japanese Rule" as a proper name of Taiwan history entangling with Japan. Ten years after lifting the martial law, "Japanese Rule" was accepted by the mainstream Taiwanese and became a term defined in the Textbook Outline Program of Education Department in 1997. Zeng noted it is an extraordinary example of transitional justice fulfilled behind this name changed, just like "the aboriginal" was christened instead of "barbarian" or "mountain people" used to implicate. Wang Zhau-wen, a history scholar in Tainan Theological College and Seminary, said she did not want to judge which term iscorrect as there were different historical stands and perspectives involved. Different historical interpretations engender different affections toward history naturally. People with different opinions should respect each other. "The question is", Wang complained, "why central government only use one sheet of decree to turn down the "Japanese Rule" consensus gradually established among Taiwan historical studies guild"? "Ma administration does not pay any respect to the context of this historical development. He just wishes to get indulged in his Anti-Japan sentiments", concluded Wang. Translated by Peter Wolfe |