Takasago Volunteers

[2] 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.

The Japanese military recruited many young men from friendly indigenous groups into service shortly before the start of World War II.

Units consisting entirely of Takasago volunteers served with distinction in the Philippines, Netherlands East Indies, Solomon Islands and New Guinea (including the Kokoda Track), where they fought against American and Australian forces.

Towards the end of the war, 15 officers and 45 enlisted members of the Takasago Volunteers were organized into the Kaoru Special Attack Corps for a suicide mission similar to that of the Giretsu Kuteitai, and attacked a United States Army Air Forces landing strip on Leyte.

The most notable Takasago Volunteer is Teruo Nakamura (Attun Palalin), the last confirmed Japanese holdout, who surrendered on Morotai Island in Indonesia in December 1974.