Did Koreans and Taiwanese actually serve in Japanese army during WW2?

Answer 1

About 4,000 Taiwanese were recuited by the Japanese to act as scouts in the mountains and jungles similar to the terrain on Taiwan and fought mainly in Southeast Asia, the Philippines and New Guinea during World War II. In 2000 the Japanese Government passed legislation to pay compensation to the families and survivors of the Aboriginal Volunteer Group as they were called and to bring back to Taiwan the funeral tablets (headstones) of the dead 'soldiers,' to bring closure to the issue. To add, these soldiers were not considered by the Imperial Army to be anywhere near equal to the Japanese soldier.

Most Taiwanese and Koreans were mainly laborers (the estimate is somewhere around 500,000 total)although some Koreans were assigned as prison guards most worked in
building camps, airfields, etc. Over 30,000 Chinese and 50,000 Koreans died are have estimated to have died and no actual figure is available.

Hope I have answered your question.

Answer 2

I don't think so. Although the Japanese did employ Koreans as guards in labour camps and such, they did not treat them as equals and probaly would not have welcomed them into the military.

There may of course be some isolated exceptions, it was a big army, but no large scale enlistment.

Answer 3

Probably not, but they did serve as slave laborers to build fortifications for the Japanese. If any did serve in the Japanese army, it was against their will.

Answer 4

Considering both were occupied by Japan and functioned as Colonies I would be surprised if they did not. Just as citizens of the British Colonies served.

Answer 5

probably ,as forced conscripts for low level labor and static operation like guarding etc.