Also unlike China, Taiwan have fond memories under Japanese rule due to the fact how the Japanese government help improve the country's infrastructure and treated the natives better due to Taiwan being their Model Colony.
To give you an idea how fond they are of Japan, when the Kuomintang took over, the people hated the new government due to their corruption and discrimination against natives which many of the older generation wishing for the good old days. Due to Japanese influence, Taiwanese Mandarin is different from Mainland Mandarin.