The term “household administration” as set forth herein denotes census administration. For the census administration, the census authorities officially reprocess the panoramic personal information and data starting from birth until death of each and every national, by accepting application from nationals or by exercising ex officio powers by means of survey, investigation and registration in accordance with the Household Registration Law. The results yielded through such efforts will systematically indicate the number of population, phenomena, trends an all such characteristics in census facts.
The household administration (census) organization in Taiwan , the evolution and development:
(I) The household administration (census) facts in Taiwan before the end of WWII:
Taiwan was for the first time merged into the territories of the Ching (Manchurian) Dynasty of China in Year 22 of Emperor Kanghsi (1683). At that time Taiwan was in one Fu and three counties. The household administration affairs were under the jurisdiction by the County governments whereunder there were BaoJia to take charge of all household registration. In the census systems that time, BaoJia to play the pivotal role of the grassroots level staff.
In the initial phase after Japanese colonization which started in 1895, the Japanese authority was already seriously watchful of census affairs. The first Japanese governor Sukenori Kabayama promulgated the Regulations Governing the Aboriginal Census as early as 1986 -- the second year of the Japanese occupation of Taiwan , writing the pioneer record of Census Law promulgated by Japanese colonizer in Taiwan . Throughout the half-a-century occupation of Taiwan , the Japanese authority promulgated that the police authority represented the supreme power in Taiwan in an attempt to solidify the control of the government powers. In the hands-on practice, the police would accurately control BaoJia and the BaoJia system would control the census. The census system was taken as a tool to control the native Taiwanese people. Taiwan 's household registration system was first built in 1906. The Japanese government built census books for the native population and non-native residents respectively. The police conducted census and household survey and the local township and village level BaoJia took charge of household registration.
(II) Taiwan 's household administration (census) systems built by the Republic of China government:
In 1945 as World War II came to a close, Taiwan was returned to the Republic of China rule. In the initial phase, the Republic of China government still continually used the Japanese system by having the police authority take charge of the census affairs. The Household Registration Law enacted in 1946 ascertained the household administration (census) authorities in all levels under charge by the administrative power. The local level township and village governments took charge of household registration.
The Central Government launched the “unitary system of the police and household administration affairs into a whole” in August 1965 by promulgating the “Regulations Governing Coordination by and between Household Administration and Police Authorities” which were put into trial enforcement in January 1967. In March 1968, the Ministry of the Interior, as instructed by the late President Chiang Kai-shek, drew up “Enforcement Guidelines on the Unitary System of The Police and Household Administration Affairs” and “Regulations Governing Household Administration Improvement in Taiwan Areas during the Period of Communist Rebellion” which were put into enforcement on a trial basis on July 1, 1969. The Household Registration Law was amended and promulgated in July 1973, providing firm and definite legal grounds for the unitary system of the police and household administration affairs. Since then, census affairs have been handed over from the civil affairs authorities to the police authorities. Meanwhile, the Household Administrations were officially established to take charge of household registration affairs.
As the Period of Communist Rebellion came to an end, the government worked out the amendment of the Household Registration Law by setting up respective census and police systems in July 1990. The Executive Yuan (the Cabinet) promulgated the “Policy for Respective Census and Police Systems” in May 1992 whereunder the census affairs were back to the civil affairs authorities from July 1992. The Civil Affairs Bureau of provincial level city governments additionally set up Department Four. Taiwan Provincial Bureau of Civil Affairs additionally set up Department Six. The Civil Affairs Bureau of county/city level city governments set up Department Census Affairs to superintend the respective household administrations under their jurisdiction to take charge of the household affairs. Since Taiwan Provincial Government became a nominal authority, Department Six of Taiwan Provincial Bureau of Civil Affairs was changed into Central Taiwan Office, Census Department of the Ministry of the Interior.
The Ministry of the Interior officially completed the computerized online system for census and conscript affairs of the entire country on September 30, 1997. Since then, the household administration authorities have rendered prompt, accurate and highly efficient services readily available to nationals of the entire country, and have taken more precise command of the census resources and upgraded the quality of services.
