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by barry-cotter 2728 days ago
Korea and Taiwan were both integral parts of the Japanese Empire before WWWII. Their conquest pre-dated the outlawing of conquest and annexation in international law, when France and the USA decided they’d conquered enough of the world and no one else should be allowed to do so [1]. Taiwan had been Japanese since 1895 or so and Korea 1910. I’m sure if the Japanese had been in charge of the Philippines for more than a decade they’d have introduced Filipino yen too. But there was never a period when the Philippines was part of the Empire of Japan under civilian administration.

[1]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kellogg–Briand_Pact

2 comments

>when France and the USA decided they’d conquered enough of the world and no one else should be allowed to do so

Your snark seems misplaced, for the US at least. They had an isolationist policy at the time, and no empire. I also wonder where Britain fits into this. They seem to have signed with everyone else. But with the largest empire I would have expected them to have a seat at the table.

The Philippines (1898), Hawaii (also 1898), Cuba (1898, not annexed but Platt Amendment allowed US free reign to intervene in Cuban affairs. The Panama Canal Zone was an unincorporated territory of the US from 1903 to 1977 and it’s separation from Colombia was accomplished with US warships.

Also, the fact that the US settled the territory it conquered and integrated it into the metrople does not change the fact that it conquered it any more than the fact that Russia did that in Central Asia or Siberia does, or France in Algeria.

Well theres always exceptions :)

Hadn't the US agreed to give the Philippines independence by that point? And Panama a case of picking the friendly side?

Not that I necessarily disagree with you but these are 30 years prior, and not exactly an empire compared to European ambitions. The US seems a poor target to beat with the 'empire' stick.

> Korea and Taiwan were both integral parts of the Japanese Empire before WWWII [1].

[1]World Wide War 2.