Takasago Volunteers
Takasago volunteers (高砂義勇隊, Takasago Giyūtai) were volunteer soldiers in the Imperial Japanese Army, recruited from Taiwanese indigenous peoples (also known as Taiwanese aborigines) during World War II. The Takasago volunteers are distinguished from the Taiwanese volunteers of ethnic Han or Chinese descent. == Background and history == After the Empire of Japan's annexation of Taiwan as a result of the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894, the Japanese government pursued a policy of cultural assimilation, directed especially towards the various groups of Taiwanese aborigines.