International Legal Documents
Treaty of Shimonoseki
On April 17, 1895, the Qing court was forced to sign the unequal Treaty of Shimonoseki with Japan under the Meiji Government in Japan’s Shimonoseki.
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The Cairo Declaration
In November 1943, heads of China, the US and the UK met in Cairo. In December 1943, China, the US and the UK issued the Cairo Declaration, which consolidated future military operations against Japan and stated in explicit terms that Japan would be stripped of all Pacific islands it had seized or occupied.
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The Potsdam Proclamation
In July 1945, China, the US and the UK issued the Potsdam Proclamation or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender, a statement which called for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces during World War II. According to Article 8, the terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out and Japan shall return all territories it illegally invaded. The Article, in explicit terms, also stipulated Japan’s legal territory. The Soviet Union signed the Potsdam Proclamation in August 1945 after it declared war on Japan.
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Japanese Instrument of Surrender
On September 2, 1945, Japan accepted the Potsdam Proclamation and surrendered unconditionally. The Japanese government pledged to faithfully fulfill the obligations enshrined in the provisions of the Potsdam Proclamation. These documents all testify to the fact that Taiwan and its affiliated islands should have been simultaneously returned to China.
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