Fifty years of Japanese administration of Taiwan formally ends when the Republic of China assumes control.

Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia comprising primarily the island of Taiwan, formerly known as Formosa, which has an area of 35,808 km² (13,826 sq mi) and makes up 99% of the land under ROC control. It lies about 180 km (112 mi) across the Taiwan Strait from the southeastern coast of mainland China's Fujian Province. The East China Sea is to the north of the island, the Philippine Sea to its east, the Luzon Strait directly to its south, and the South China Sea to its southwest. The ROC also controls a number of smaller islands, including the Penghu archipelago in the Taiwan Strait, Kinmen and Matsu in Fuchien near the mainland coast, as well as Pratas and Taiping in the South China Sea.