Koo Hsien-jung

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Koo Hsien-jung (traditional Chinese: 辜顯榮; pinyin: Gū Xiǎnróng; Wade-Giles: Ku¹ Hsien³-jung²; Romaji: Ko Kenei; 1866–1937) was a Taiwanese businessman and politician who enjoyed strong links to the Japanese colonial administration of Taiwan. He founded the Koos Group of companies, the largest business group in Taiwan.

Koo was a businessman at the time of the Treaty of Shimonoseki in which China ceded Taiwan to Japan. When the Japanese forces arrived in Taiwan, they encountered resistance and besieged Taipei. On June 6, 1895, Koo opened the gates of Taipei and led Japanese forces into the city.

Koo's close links to the Japanese allowed him both to pursue a successful political career (he became the first Taiwanese to be appointeed by the emperor as a member of the House of Nobles of Japan and to build a collection of businesses that formed the nucleus of today's Koos Group of companies.

Koo had six wives and twelve sons. His fifth son, Koo Chen-fu, inherited control of his father's business and served as the negotiator for Taiwan during the talks with China in 1993 and 1998.