Republic of Formosa
The Republic of Formosa (), was a short-lived republic that existed on the island of Taiwan in 1895 between the formal cession of Taiwan by the Qing Dynasty of China to the Empire of Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki and it being taken over by Japanese troops. The Republic was proclaimed on 23 May 1895 and extinguished on 21 October, when the Republican capital Tainan was taken over by the Japanese. Though sometimes claimed as the first Asian republic to have been proclaimed, it was predated by the Lanfang Republic in Borneo, established in 1777, as well as by the Republic of Ezo in Japan, established in 1869.
Taiwanese Resistance to the Japanese Invasion (1895)
He had a strong relationship with Tang Jingsong, staying to fight the Japanese in Taiwan following the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Liu Yongfu was given the title of command of the resistance forces in the south of Taiwan, and made a general. When Tang Jingsong fled Taiwan, Liu Yongfu became the 2nd and final leader of the Republic of Formosa. When it became apparent that Taiwan was lost, on 20 October 1895 Liu fled Taiwan aboard a British merchant ship called the "SS Thales." However this ship was being pursued by a Japanese ship, the . The "Yaeyama" caught up to the "Thales" in international waters near Amoy, but were unable to identify and take a disguised Liu Yongfu into custody. The actions of the Japanese government spurred a diplomatic protests from Britain, and the Japanese government issued an official apology for following and stopping the British ship. On October 21, Tainan was surrendered to the Japanese, signalling the end of any major resistance to the Japanese occupation.