Makō Guard District

The Makō Guard District (馬公警備府, Makō Keibifu) was the Imperial Japanese Navy's major base in the Pescadores (Penghu) Islands, strategically positioned in the Taiwan Strait midway between Taiwan and mainland China.

The Pescadores held deep strategic significance: virtually every power that sought to conquer Taiwan first seized Penghu as a forward base. During the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895, the Japanese invasion force captured the Pescadores before advancing on Taiwan proper, making Makō the first portion of Taiwan to fall under Japanese control.

In early July 1901 (3 July according to Japanese sources), the Imperial Japanese Navy designated the port of Makō (馬公) as a third-echelon fortified port (要港部, Yōkōbu) under Imperial Ordinance No. 140. The first commandant, Rear Admiral Kamimura Masanojō, assumed office on 4 July. The yokobu's mission encompassed harbor defense, coastal and sea-surface patrols in adjacent waters, supply distribution, and minor repair of warships and weapons. At the time, Penghu's defenses consisted of little more than a few Qing-dynasty gun batteries, a small garrison, and a single undersea telegraph cable linking the islands to Taiwan.

Makō served as a refueling and staging point during the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905). In the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War from 1937, the base became a critical forward staging area for patrols of the China coast and South China Sea operations. The port's sheltered anchorage and its position astride the Taiwan Strait made it an ideal assembly point for convoy escort and strike force sorties.

On 20 November 1941 — just weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor — Makō was upgraded from fortified port to full Guard District (警備府, Keibifu) status. After the outbreak of the Pacific War in December 1941, the Makō Guard District served as a staging base and supply depot for the invasion of the Philippines and subsequent operations across Southeast Asia. The forces stationed at Makō at the war's outbreak included three minesweeper divisions (44th, 45th, and 46th), three patrol vessels, three Aichi D1A dive bombers, and the cargo ship Kure Maru No. 5. The Anzan Naval Station on Sokuten-tō (測天島), connected by causeway to the main island, housed a torpedo station, mine depot, submarine and destroyer base, repair facility, and fueling station.

Capital ships of the Combined Fleet regularly called at Makō. In April 1942, the carriers Shōkaku and Zuikaku anchored in port before sortieing for the Coral Sea operation. Vice Admiral Yamamoto Koki commanded the district from February 1941, succeeded by Vice Admiral Takagi Takeo from November 1942.

On 1 April 1943, the guard district headquarters moved to Takao (present-day Kaohsiung) on the Taiwan mainland as the newly established Takao Guard District (高雄警備府), and the former Makō Guard District was reorganised as the Makō Special Base Force (馬公特別根拠地隊), reflecting the consolidation of naval command as the war situation deteriorated.

The Pescadores nonetheless remained a target. On 12 October 1944, U.S. Navy carrier aircraft struck Makō as part of the Formosa air battle. On 4 April 1945, USAAF B-25 bombers attacked the port, sinking a 2,000-ton tanker and the freighter Hōrei Maru. These raids severely damaged harbor facilities and effectively ended Makō's usefulness as a functioning naval base.

After Japan's surrender, the Republic of China assumed control of Penghu. The former Imperial Navy installations became the foundation of the ROC Navy's Magong Base (海軍馬公基地), which today serves as the headquarters of the 2nd Naval District. The base hosts attack squadrons, a naval shipyard, and training facilities, and remains the keystone of Taiwan Strait defense. HF-2E land-attack cruise missiles and Tien Kung II surface-to-air missiles are deployed in the Penghu area, underscoring the archipelago's enduring strategic importance.