Prison Modernisation in the Empire of Japan: A Comparative Study on the Development of Colonial Prisons in Korea and Taiwan

This thesis will study the influence of different colonial ruling by Japan on the modernising of prison systems in its colonies. The period of enlightenment saw the change from flogging based punishment to penal servitude. As imperial power started to venture around the world, modern thought was able to reach as far as East Asia and thus Japan. After a victory over China, it came in the possession of Taiwan, its first colony and not much later Korea too became part of the Japanese empire. Both of the newly acquired colonies were put through modernising reforms on prisons constructing new modern buildings and adjusting the treatment to be more humane and implementing prison labour but were not the same in the end. This thesis argues that there are multiple reasons for the differences such as the national unity of Korea that caused resistance and subsequently military oppression. Although Taiwan had a less modernised prison system, they also had less problems within the prisons as...Show moreThis thesis will study the influence of different colonial ruling by Japan on the modernising of prison systems in its colonies. The period of enlightenment saw the change from flogging based punishment to penal servitude. As imperial power started to venture around the world, modern thought was able to reach as far as East Asia and thus Japan. After a victory over China, it came in the possession of Taiwan, its first colony and not much later Korea too became part of the Japanese empire. Both of the newly acquired colonies were put through modernising reforms on prisons constructing new modern buildings and adjusting the treatment to be more humane and implementing prison labour but were not the same in the end. This thesis argues that there are multiple reasons for the differences such as the national unity of Korea that caused resistance and subsequently military oppression. Although Taiwan had a less modernised prison system, they also had less problems within the prisons as resistance was less frequent. This would mean that the way of ruling did not in so far influence the modernisation of prisons, as it did the treatment of prisoners.Show less

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Prison Modernisation in the Empire of Japan: A Comparative Study on the Development of Colonial Prisons in Korea and Taiwan