Conscription in Taiwan

The Government-General of Taiwan forcibly drafted Taiwanese people to join the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) and Navy (IJN) to fight on in World War II.

In December 2022, the government of the Republic of China announced an reinstatement of the mandatory 1 year long active duty military service from January 2024.

Since the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, the Government-General of Taiwan recruited Taiwanese military volunteers to serve in the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy.

In August 1945, after the World War II, the Republic of China (ROC) occupied Taiwan as the representative of the Allied Forces.

However, after losing the Chinese Civil War, the government retreated to Taiwan, the place it just occupied from Japan 4 years ago, in December 1949.

Mandatory conscription was introduced in Taiwan in December 1949 to prevent possible invasion from the Chinese Communist Party-led People's Republic of China (PRC).

At his time, the majority of all enlisted positions in the Republic of China Armed Forces (ROCAF) were filled by draftees which served 2 years on active duty.

The National Conscription Agency has also been established under MOI to administrates the raft process is set forth by the Act of Military Service System.

[3] In 2007, the Ministry of National Defense had announced that should voluntary enlistment reach sufficient numbers, the compulsory service period for draftees will be shortened to 14 months.

[10] However, other sources says that conscription unofficially if not technically still exists as the transition to an all-volunteer force has been unsuccessful in recruiting enough volunteer soldiers to fulfill the defensive needs.

[11][12] In January 2023, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry announced that it would allow women to volunteer for reserve force training, amid an increase of military pressure from China.

Qualified conscription age male citizens may serve in the following types of military service to fulfill the statutory obligation.

[15] After completing the service period required by law, the conscription age male citizens are transformed into military reserve force.