Republic of Formosa
In 1895 the short-lived 'Republic of Formosa' resistance leaders created fake 'Japanese issued propaganda' stating that opium would be banned in the hope it would drive supporters to their cause. In response, the Japanese government made it temporality legal to continue smoking opium for the local Taiwanese residents, while stating it was punishable by death to supply opium to any Japanese individual. After the Republic of Formosa was defeated, the Japanese government took great issue with the prevalence of opium through Taiwan, fearing it would spread to Japan if not monitored correctly.