The beginning of Japanese soft power in Taiwan started from their colonization from 1895 to 1945. But by the end of Japanese occupation, almost all Taiwanese were absorbing everything culturally Japanese, from sports to education. However, after the end of WWII and the rise of KMT rule in Taiwan, the new Nationalist government put heavy bans of everything culturally Japanese in an attempt to re-Sinicize Taiwan. Due to its attempt to normalize Sino-Japanese relations, Japan took a figurative "step back" from Taiwan-Japanese relations and cut ties with Taipei until the 1980s when Japan's soft power began to expand towards its regional neighbors.