This paper examines the development of penal policy and practice in Taiwan in the early Japanese colonial era (1895-1908). The Japanese colonial government considered creation of a modern prison system in Taiwan as not only an essential part of establishing control over the island, but also in proving their colonial credentials. However the process of establishing a modern colonial penal system was a new challenge for Japanese rulers and penal policies underwent changes throughout the period of Japanese rule as they sought to adjust to the needs and realities of colonial governance. This paper seeks to answer the following questions: How did the Japanese colonial regime’s strategy of colonial governance (i.e. the new political rationality) affect the development of penal thought and techniques in Taiwan? What were the particular characteristics of the colonial prison in Taiwan and what comparisons can be made between penal systems in Qing Taiwan, Meiji Japan and colonial Taiwan? This paper will examine relevant penal philosophy, architecture and penal technologies in order to answer these questions. / This paper examines the development of penal policy and practice in Taiwan in the early Japanese colonial era (1895-1908). The Japanese colonial government considered creation of a modern prison system in Taiwan as not only an essential part of establishing control over the island, but also in proving their colonial credentials. However the process of establishing a modern colonial penal system was a new challenge for Japanese rulers and penal policies underwent changes throughout the period of Japanese rule as they sought to adjust to the needs and realities of colonial governance. This paper seeks to answer the following questions: How did the Japanese colonial regime’s strategy of colonial governance (i.e. the new political rationality) affect the development of penal thought and techniques in Taiwan? What were the particular characteristics of the colonial prison in Taiwan and what comparisons can be made between penal systems in Qing Taiwan, Meiji Japan and colonial Taiwan? This paper will examine relevant penal philosophy, architecture and penal technologies in order to answer these questions.