Wushe Incident The Wushe Incident or , also known as the Wushe Rebellion and several other similar names , began in October 1930 and was the last major uprising against colonial Japanese forces in Taiwan . In response to long - term oppression by Japanese authorities , the Seediq indigenous group in Wushe ( Musha ) attacked the village , killing over 130 Japanese . In response , the Japanese led a relentless counter - attack , killing over 1 , 000 Seediq in retaliation . The handling of the incident by the Japanese authorities was strongly criticised , leading to many changes in aboriginal policy . Background . Armed resistance to Japanese imperial authority had been dealt with harshly , as evident in the responses to previous uprisings such as the Ta - pa - ni Incident ; this resulted in a cycle of rebel attacks and strict Japanese retaliation . However , by the 1930s , armed resistance had largely been replaced by organised political and social movements among the younger Taiwanese generation . Direct police involvement in local administration had been relaxed , many harsh punishments were abolished , and some elements of self - government , albeit of questionable effectiveness , had been introduced to colonial Taiwan . However , a different approach was used in order to control Taiwan ' s indigenous peoples . Aborigines were still designated as , and treated as savages rather than equal subjects . Tribes were ' tamed ' through assimilation , the process of disarming traditional hunting tribes and forcing them to relocate to the plains and lead an agrarian existence . Further resistance was then dealt with by military campaigns , isolation and containment . In order to access natural resources in mountainous and forested indigenous - controlled areas , Governor - General Sakuma Samata adopted a more aggressive terrain policy , attempting to pacify or eradicate aboriginal groups in areas scheduled for logging within five years ; by 1915 , this policy had been largely successful , although resistance still existed in more remote areas . Proximal causes . The Seediq aborigines in the vicinity of Wushe had been considered by Japanese authorities to be one of the most successful examples of this " taming " approach , with Chief Mouna Rudao being one of 43 indigenous leaders selected for a tour of Japan a few years earlier . However , resentment still lingered , due largely to police misconduct , the continuing practice of forced labor , and the ill treatment of indigenous beliefs and customs . In the days immediately prior to the incident , chief Mouna Rudao held a traditional wedding banquet for his son Daho Mona , during which animals were slaughtered and wine was prepared and drunk . A Japanese police officer named Katsuhiko Yoshimura was on patrol in the area , and was offered a cup of wine by Daho Mouna as a symbolic gesture . The officer refused , saying that Daho Mouna ' s hands were soiled with blood from the slaughtered animals . Daho Mouna attempted to take hold of the officer , insisting he participate , and the officer struck him with his stick . Fighting ensued , and the officer was injured . Chief Mouna Rudao attempted to apologize by presenting a flagon of wine at the officer ' s house , but was rejected . The simmering resentment among the Seediq in Wushe was finally pushed to the limit . Incident . On October 27 , 1930 , hundreds of Japanese converged on Wushe for an athletics meet at the Taiwan - Chinese Musyaji Elementary School . Shortly before dawn , Mouna Rudao led over 300 Seediq warriors in a raid of strategic police sub - stations to capture weapons and ammunition . They then moved on the elementary school , concentrating their attack on the Japanese in attendance . A total of 134 Japanese , including women and children , were killed in the attack . Two Han Taiwanese were also mistakenly killed , one of whom was a girl wearing a Japanese kimono . Consequences . The Japanese authorities responded with unprecedentedly harsh military action . A press blackout was enforced , and Governor General Eizo Ishizuka ordered a counter - offensive of two thousand troops to be sent to Wushe , forcing the Seediq to retreat into the mountains and carry out guerrilla attacks by night . Unable to root out the Seediq despite their superior numbers and firepower , the Japanese faced a political need for a faster solution . Consequently , Japan ' s army air corps in Taiwan ordered bombing runs over Wushe to smoke out the rebels , dropping tear gas bombs in what was allegedly the first such use of chemical warfare in Asia . The uprising was swiftly quelled , with any remaining resistance suppressed by the third week of December 1930 ; Mouna Rudao had committed suicide on November 28 , but the uprising had continued under other leaders . Of the 1 , 200 Seediq directly involved in the uprising , 644 died , 290 of which committed suicide to avoid dishonor . Due to internal and external criticism of their handling of the incident , Governor - General Kamiyama and Goto Fumio , his chief civil administrator , were forced to resign in January 1931 . However , Kamiyama ' s replacement , Ota Masahiro , also took a harsh approach to controlling Taiwan ' s indigenous peoples : certain tribes were disarmed and left unprotected , giving their aboriginal enemies an opportunity to annihilate them on behalf of the Japanese administration . Around 500 of the Seediq involved in the Wushe Incident surrendered and were subsequently confined to a village near Wushe . However , on April 25 , 1931 , indigenous groups working with the Japanese authorities attacked the village , killing all remaining males over the age of 15 . This came to be known as the " Second Wushe Incident " , and Ota was recalled in March 1932 . However , the uprising did affect a change in the authorities ' attitudes and approaches towards aborigines in Taiwan . Wushe had been regarded as the most " enlightened and compliant " of the aboriginal territories , and the colonial power ' s inability to prevent the massacre provoked a fear of similar nationalist movements starting in Taiwan , Korea , and Japan itself . A change in policy was clearly needed . Ching suggests that the ideology of imperialisation ( " kominka " ) became the dominant form of colonial control ; aborigines became represented as imperial subjects on equal footing with other ethnic groups in Taiwan , and were upgraded in status from " raw savages " to . Furthermore , Japanese education was intensified , tying Taiwanese civility to Japanese culture and loyalty to the emperor in the younger generation . In this way , the Japanese authorities were able to play the Taiwanese - Chinese and indigenous peoples against each other to encourage competing in loyalty to the colonial forces . During World War II some fought for the Imperial Japan and wore their identity to battle zone . In popular culture . The Wushe Incident is also depicted in the 2011 Taiwanese film " " .