Earliest republics in Asia

The earliest republics in Asia, and the earliest in the world, were located in ancient India. These republics were known as "Maha Janapadas". All of these republics eventually ceased to exist in the later Middle Ages however, and it wasn't until the 18th century that republics began reappearing in Asia, particularly in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Most of these however, were short-lived revolutionary movements that were crushed by major powers.

Vaishali (c. 600 BC)

Vaishali was the first of the republican Maha Janapadas ("great realms") of ancient India, and the first republic in the world. It was located in present-day Bihar, India. Vaishali was established as a republic by circa 600 BC, before the birth of Mahavira (c. 599 BC). [http://p2.www.britannica.com/eb/article-9074639/Vaisali] It ceased to exist as a republic after its conquest by Ashoka the Great, king of the Mauryan Empire, in the 3rd century BC. Ashoka later adapted some of the democratic ideas found in the Maha Janapadas for his own empire. Vaishali is now a part of the Republic of India.

Licchavi (c. 600 BC)

Licchavi was an ancient republic which existed in Bihar since the before the birth of Mahavira (b. 599 BC) [http://p2.www.britannica.com/eb/article-9048151/Licchavi]

Vajji (c. 600 BC)

The Vajji were a confederacy of the Licchavis and neighbouring peoples in Bihar, India, that existed from the 6th century BC to the 4th century AD. It was governed as an aristocratic republic. Gautama Buddha is said to have modeled the organizational structure of the Buddhist monastic order, sangha, on the government of the Vrjji.

Lanfang Republic (1777)

The Lanfang Republic (Traditional Chinese: 蘭芳共和國) was established by Hakka Chinese settlers in western Kalimantan after defeating a local sultan. The republic, which paid regular tribute to the Qing Dynasty, was ended by Dutch occupation in 1884.

Republic of Ezo (1868)

The Republic of Ezo (Kanji: 蝦夷共和国) was established on the Japanese island of Hokkaidō on December 25, 1868 by Admiral Enomoto Takeaki, a loyal of supporter of the military government of the Tokugawa shogun, which was being overthrown by the return of Japanese imperial rule during the Meiji Restoration. Enomoto surrendered to the Meiji Emperor on May 18, 1869.

Republic of Formosa (Taiwan) (1895)

The Republic of Formosa (Traditional Chinese: 臺灣民主國) was established on Taiwan by pro-Qing Dynasty officials on May 24, 1895 between the removal of Qing forces and the establishment of Japanese control of Taiwan following the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which concluded the First Sino-Japanese War. The republic collapsed on October 21, 1895 as Japanese forces completed their conquest of Taiwan.

Cantonal Republic of Negros (1898)

The Cantonal Republic of Negros was a short-lived republic located in Negros island in the Philippines. It was composed of the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental and was formed after the Negros Revolution against Spain.

República Filipina (1899)

The Republic of the Philippines, a country still existing today, was established in the midst of the Spanish-American War. The Filipino nationalist leader Emilio Aguinaldo had hoped that the United States would support the Philippines' independence from Spain, which had held the Philippines for centuries. Instead, the US began occupying the islands themselves, which prompted Aguinaldo to declare Philippine independence on June 12, 1898. A republic was declared in January 1899. On April 1, 1901, Aguinaldo surrendered to the United States, which ended the war and the Republic. Philippine independence was not granted by the United States until 1946.

Katagalugan (1902)

Katagalugan is a short lived republic in the mountains of Southern Luzon founded in 1902 by members of the Filipino Katipunan. General Macario Sakay held the presidency with Francisco Carreón as vice-president. In April 1904, Sakay issued a manifesto declaring Filipino right to self determination at a time when support for independence was considered a crime by the American occupation forces in the Philippines.

Republic of China (1912)

The Republic of China (Traditional Chinese: 中華民國) is the most often cited candidate as the earliest surviving republic in Asia, and is the only one that gained significant international recognition and that still exists today (as of 2007). The Chinese Xinhai Revolution broke out on October 10, 1911, which led to the establishment of the Republic of China on January 1, 1912 and the abdication of the last Manchu Qing Dynasty emperor on February 12, 1912. Decades of political turmoil followed, eventually ending with the establishment of the People's Republic of China on the mainland in 1949. On December 10, 1949, the last remaining forces of the Republic of China fled to Taiwan, where the ROC remains today.

The Mongolian People's Republic (1924)

The Mongolian People's Republic (Mongolian: Бугд Найрамдах Монгол Ард Улс (БНМАУ)) was a socialist state in central Asia which existed between 1924 and 1990 and changed to a democratic country, Mongolia, in 1990. Throughout its history, the state remained an ally of the Soviet Union. Between 1911 and 1919, Mongolia was a puppet state of Russia. However, Russia's entry into the First World War and political unrest led to a relaxation of Russian control. The Russian revolution of 1917 and the resulting civil war allowed Chinese warlords an opportunity to reestablish their rule in Mongolia, and Chinese troops were dispatched there in 1919. Mongolia declared independence from China (for the second time) on March 13, 1921 after Roman von Ungern-Sternberg's troops drove the Chinese out of the Mongolian capital of Urga. Following Soviet military victories over White Russian and Sternberg's forces in the early 1920s, and the occupation of Urga in July 1921, Moscow again became the major outside influence on Mongolia. The Mongolian People's Republic was proclaimed on November 25, 1924, under the control of a communist regime dominated by the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP).In addition some historians notably Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World (In the book, the author suggests that some of Kublai Khan's, (grandson of Genghis), reforms in China which localized power, and gave political strength to individual farms, was the first democratic experience in China, and continued only when the Republicans and Communists began to reintroduce local government. The author also suggests that the tribal government of the Mongols had many democratic elements, and refers to Mongol leaders being selected by council as "elections." In addition, several times he emphasizes the point that Khans ruled through the will of the people.), consider the ancient Khanate system of government with tribal councils and elected leaders an early form of republican government.