Republic of Ezo

The Republic of Ezo, formally the Ezo Island Government, was a short-lived state established in 1869 on the island of Ezo, now Hokkaido, at the end of the Bakumatsu period. After the Tokugawa shogunate was overthrown in the Boshin War, a remnant of its navy under Admiral Enomoto Takeaki sailed north with several thousand troops and French military advisers, including Jules Brunet, to continue resistance against the imperial government. In December 1868 they occupied the fortress of Goryokaku at Hakodate. On 27 January 1869 they proclaimed a republic and held an election, making it the first government in Japan to attempt democratic institutions, although the franchise was limited to the samurai class. Enomoto was chosen as president. The new state was never recognized abroad and controlled only southern Hokkaido. Imperial forces landed in April 1869, and after the Battle of Hakodate the republic surrendered on 27 June 1869. Hokkaido was then fully incorporated into the Empire of Japan.