Motherland controversy

The Motherland Controversy   ( or shortly, ) occurred in Taiwan under Japanese colonial rule in 1936. Taiwanese leader Lin Hsien-tang, from the prominent Lin family of Wufeng, faced public humiliation by a Japanese individual for referring to China as his motherland. The ensuing media backlash led Lin to resign from his political roles and relocate from Taiwan to Tokyo. It is speculated that the Japanese military orchestrated the incident to caution Taiwanese intellectuals against Chinese nationalist sentiments.

Background
In March 1936, Lin Hsien-tang, accompanied by his brother Lin Jietang and son Lin Youlong, visited southern China, a trip arranged by the Taiwan People News newspaper. Their itinerary included Xiamen, Fuzhou, Shantou, Hong Kong, Guangdong and Shanghai. During a welcome ceremony in Shanghai, Lin said,

"After returning to the motherland 20 years ago, I have never been back here, but I have repeatedly noted the rapid progress of the motherland. This time, when I returned to the motherland with my colleagues, we saw that the cultural construction in Guangzhou and Shanghai is far from what it was 20 years ago."

Lin referred to China as "motherland" (Chinese: 祖國), a comment which was subsequently reported to the head of the Japanese Army in Taiwan.

Conflicts
On 17 June 1936, during a ceremony commemorating Japanese rule in Taiwan at Taichū Park, Lin Hsien-tang encountered an altercation, as invited by the mayor of Taichū Prefecture. A Japanese far-right activist, Uruma Zenbee (賣間 善兵衛), publicly confronted Lin and asked,

"Why did you say that you were back in the motherland when you were in the welcome ceremony held by chankoro?"

Zenbee handed Lin a letter demanding his resignation from the position of legal consultant to the Governor and all other public roles, a public apology for his remarks in Shanghai, and a cessation of involvement in any political, cultural, or social activities. Following this, Zenbee physically assaulted Lin by slapping him.

Taiwan Daily News, along with other Japanese newspapers, kept reporting the event and attacking Lin. Due to the overwhelming media pressure, Lin was forced to resign from the legal consultancy of the Government of colonial Taiwan, the Home Rule Alliance of Taiwan, the Common Prosperity Association of East Asia and newspaper Taiwan Minbao and moved to Tokyo with all his family of 7.

Lin Hsien-tang, in his diary, mentioned that the confrontation was conspired by Rippei Ogisu, the military head of colonial Taiwan, and the Taiwan Daily News. His secretary, Ye Rongzhong, also believed in Ogisu's involvement. Ye Rongzhong, the secretary of Lin, also believed that Rippei Ogisu was behind the confrontation. However, in the years that followed, Lin did not make much of a fuss about persecution and retribution, and until Yoshihide Yama came to his door to thank him for his crime, he did not blame the Japanese too harshly.