Koh Se-kai

Koh Se -kai ( Taiwanese kho ͘ Sè - Khai, Chinese许世楷, Pinyin Xu Shìkǎi; * July 7, 1934 in Changhua, Taiwan) is a Taiwanese historian, political scientist and former diplomat. He is one of the leading personalities and former Chairman of the Association for an independent Taiwan. From 2004 to 2008 he worked as a representative of Taiwan to Japan. Koh played a leading role in the formulation of the draft Constitution of the Republic of Taiwan.

Life

Childhood and youth

Koh Se -kai was born at the time of Japanese rule over Taiwan. At the age of six years was found for him the opportunity to be enrolled in the Japanese elementary school. This was at that time a privilege, because the vast majority of Taiwanese children at that time was only the way in the General elementary school open while the primary schools were visited almost exclusively by Japanese children and enjoyed the much higher prestige. However, Koh's family was the Japanese rule hostile to, his grandfather was involved even in the Association for Taiwanese culture, which advocated a strengthening of Taiwanese identity to the assimilation of the Japanese. The family refused, therefore, to send Koh on the Japanese elementary school. However, it was also at the general primary school, who visited Koh then, only in Japanese taught (the use of the native languages ​​of the students were forbidden ), so that the boy mastered fluent in the Japanese language soon.

After the defeat of Japan in World War II and the resulting transfer of Taiwan to the Republic of China Koh went through the radically reorganized school system of the Kuomintang government, was educated in the exclusively in Chinese and students of both the use of the Japanese and the use of their native languages ​​( Taiwanese, Hakka and aboriginal languages ​​) was a punishable offense. The experience that the Japanese assimilation policy was replaced by the Kuomintang government only by another assimilation, Koh had a decisive effect.

Academic career and political activity

Koh earned a degree in politics in 1957 at the National Taiwan University. After completing his military service, he went in 1957 as a Fellow at the Waseda University in Tokyo, where he earned a master's degree in 1962 in political. Then Koh went to the University of Tokyo and acquired in 1968 PhD in law. He then worked as a professor at the Tokyo Tsuda University.

Published in 1972 Koh its up now significant scientific monograph under the title of Taiwan under Japanese rule. In contrast to the then pursued by the Kuomintang dictatorship educational policy of blanket demonization of Japanese rule over Taiwan Koh characterized taking into account a variety of sources a more balanced picture, in which he demonstrates both the negative and positive aspects of the colonial period studied and how in the resistance against the Japanese assimilation claimed a local Taiwanese identity. The contents of the work ran counter to the official ideology, which is why it was banned by the Kuomintang government and first appeared in Japanese only. Only after the end of the dictatorship of the Chinese version was created.

During his studies, Koh of the Association of Young Taiwanese lock ( later renamed the Association of Young Taiwanese people for independence ) to. This union took a critical stance against the ruling Kuomintang in Taiwan 's dictatorship and called for the introduction of democracy and the independence of Taiwan. Due to its membership Koh came on the "black list" of the dictatorship. His passport was confiscated by the Embassy of the Republic of China in Tokyo, upon returning to Taiwan threatened him detention, why Koh over 30 years could not return to his home and remained in Japan.

In 1970 he was elected to the Central Committee of the Association for Auslandstaiwanern formed by an independent Taiwan in New York. From 1987 to 1991 he was the President of this Association.

Return to Taiwan and diplomatic activities in Japan

In the course of democratization of Taiwan, it was Koh possible 1992 return to his home, where he was active in Taizhong as a lecturer at the Theological Seminary in Yushan County Hualian and at the Providence University. Koh joined the party for the independence of Taiwan and candidate 1995 and 1998 without success for Parliamentary elections for the Legislative Yuan, the Parliament of the Republic of China. From 1997 to 1998 he was the chairman of his party.

In 2004 appointed President Chen Shui -bian (Democratic Progressive Party ) Koh as head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office of the Republic of China in Japan. In his four-year tenure Koh posted some diplomatic successes. In 2005, the visa requirement for Taiwanese tourists in Japan was abolished and agreed in 2007 Taiwan and Japan on mutual recognition of driving licenses of the other side. After the victory of the Kuomintang in Taiwan's 2008 presidential election Koh by the new President Ma Ying- jeou was dismissed from his post. Since then Koh is retired. In 2009 he was appointed by Mayor Jason Hu in the consultant staff of the government of the city Taizhong.

Koh Se -kai is married to the writer Lu Chien -hui.

Political point of view

Koh is committed to an independent Republic of Taiwan, whose territory is to include the main island of Taiwan, the Penghu Islands and the Pacific Islands Lü Dao Lan Yu. This includes the Chinese province of Fujian islands belonging Jinmen and Matsu, which are currently still controlled by the Republic of China, from.

The rule of the Republic of China on Taiwan would thus come to an end. The Basic Law previously used in Taiwan, the Republic of China, which is built on the exclusive validity claim of the teachings of Sun Yat-sen, would be useless and would be replaced by a new constitution.

In foreign policy, calls Koh inclusion of Taiwan in the international community, equal relations with the People's Republic of China and a close cooperation with Japan and the United States.