First Sino - Japanese War The First Sino - Japanese War ( 1 August 1894 – 17 April 1895 ) was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan , primarily over control of Korea . After more than six months of continuous successes by the Japanese army and naval forces , as well as the loss of the Chinese port of Weihai , the Qing leadership sued for peace in February 1895 . The war was a clear indication of the failure of the Qing dynasty ' s attempts to modernize its military and fend off threats to its sovereignty , especially compared with Japan ' s successful post - Meiji restoration For the first time , regional dominance in East Asia shifted from China to Japan ; the prestige of the Qing Dynasty , along with the classical tradition in China , suffered a major blow . The humiliating loss of Korea as a vassal state sparked an unprecedented public outcry . Within China , the defeat was a catalyst for a series of revolutions and political changes led by Sun Yat - Sen and Kang Youwei . These trends would later manifest in the 1911 Revolution . The war is commonly known in China as the War of Jiawu ( ) , referring to the year ( 1894 ) as named under the traditional sexagenary system of year reckoning . In Japan , it is commonly known as the Japan – Qing War ( ) . In Korea , where much of the war took place , it is commonly known as the Qing - Japan War ( ; Hanja : 淸日戰爭 ) . Background . After two centuries , the Japanese policy of seclusion under the shoguns of the Edo period came to an end when the country was forced open to trade by American intervention in 1854 . The years following the Meiji Restoration of 1868 and the fall of the Shogunate had seen Japan transform itself from a feudal society to a modern industrial state . The Japanese had sent delegations and students around the world in order to learn and assimilate western arts and sciences ; this was done not only to prevent Japan from falling under foreign domination but to enable Japan to compete equally with the Western powers . Korea continued to try to exclude foreigners , refusing embassies from foreign countries and firing on ships near Korea . At the start of the war , Japan had been reforming for three decades , where Korea had suppressed attempts at reform , leaving it in a vulnerable situation . Conflict over Korea . As a newly emergent power , Japan turned its attention toward Korea . In order to protect its own interests and security , Japan wanted to block another power from annexing Korea or maintaining dominance in Korea , or at least ensure Korea ' s effective independence by developing its resources and reforming its administration . As Prussian advisor Major Klemens Meckel put it to the Japanese army , Korea was " a dagger pointed at the heart of Japan " . Japan felt that another power having a military presence on the Korean peninsula would have been detrimental to Japanese national security , and so resolved to end the centuries - old Chinese suzerainty over Korea . Moreover , Japan realized that having access to Korea ’ s coal and iron ore deposits would benefit Japan ' s growing industrial base . Korea was also seen as a source of agricultural imports to Japan , helping to feed the growing Japanese population . On February 27 , 1876 , after certain incidents and confrontation involving Korean isolationists and the Japanese , Japan imposed the Japan – Korea Treaty of 1876 ; forcing Korea to open itself to Japanese trade . Similar treaties were signed between Korea and other nations . Korea had traditionally been a tributary state and continued to be so under the influence of China ' s Qing Dynasty , which exerted large influence over the conservative Korean officials gathered around the royal family of the Joseon Dynasty . Opinion in Korea itself was split ; conservatives wanted to retain the traditional subservient relationship with China , while reformists wanted to establish closer ties with Japan and western nations . After two Opium Wars in 1839 and 1856 against the British Empire and the Sino - French War , China had become weak and was unable to resist political intervention and territorial encroachment by western powers ( see Unequal Treaties ) . Japan sought to prevent any major power from dominating Korea , fearing that would allow another power to threaten Japan , but this became a desire to replace Chinese influence in Korea with its Japanese influence . 1882 crisis . In 1882 , the Korean peninsula experienced a severe drought which led to food shortages , causing much hardship and discord among the population . Korea was on the verge of bankruptcy ; the government was not able to pay its debts , particularly to its military . There was deep resentment amongst the soldiers of the Korean army who had not been paid for months . On July 23 , a military mutiny and riot broke out in Seoul ; troops , assisted by the population , sacked the rice granaries there . The next morning the royal palace and barracks were attacked . The crowd then turned on the Japanese legation . The Japanese legation staff managed to escape to Chemulpo and then Nagasaki via the British survey ship " Flying Fish " . In response the Japanese sent four warships and a battalion of troops to Seoul to safeguard Japanese interests and demand reparations . The Chinese also deployed 4 , 500 troops to counter the Japanese . Tensions subsided , however , with the Treaty of Chemulpo which was signed on the evening of August 30 , 1882 . The agreement specified that the conspirators involved would be punished and 50 , 000 yen would be paid to the families of the Japanese killed . The Japanese government would also receive 500 , 000 yen , a formal apology , and permission to construct barracks and station troops at their diplomatic legation in Seoul . Gapsin Coup . In 1884 a group of pro - Japanese reformers briefly overthrew the pro - Chinese conservative Korean government in a bloody coup d ' état . However , the pro - Chinese faction , with assistance from Chinese troops under General Yuan Shikai , succeeded in regaining control with an equally bloody counter - coup . These coups resulted not only in the deaths of a number of reformers , but also in the burning of the Japanese legation and the deaths of several legation guards and citizens in the process . This caused an incident between Japan and China , but was eventually settled by the Sino - Japanese Convention of Tientsin of 1885 in which the two sides agreed to ( a ) pull their expeditionary forces out of Korea simultaneously ; ( b ) not send military instructors for the training of the Korean military ; and ( c ) notify the other side beforehand should one decide to send troops to Korea . The Japanese , however , were frustrated by repeated Chinese attempts to undermine their influence in Korea . After this treaty , Chinese and Japanese troops left , diplomatic relations were restored between Japan and Korea . Yuan Shikai , remained as ” Chinese Resident , " in what the Chinese intended as a sort of Viceroy role directing Korean affairs . ( He remained in that position until the Sino - Japanese War . ) Yuan Shikai attempted to encourage Chinese trade and hinder Japanese trade , though Japan remained Koreas largest trading partner . Telegraphs under Chinese control were introduced to Korea , linking Korea to the Chinese network . Loans were provided to Korea by the Qing . Nagasaki Incident . The Nagasaki Incident was a riot in Nagasaki caused by Qing Dynasty Beiyang Fleet soldiers stopping by the port city in 1886 . Several Japanese policemen confronting the rioters were killed . After the incident , the Qing did not apologize to Japan , and behaved with confidence in the superiority of their navy . At that time , the Qing possessed the Dingyuan , a relatively modern pre - dreadnought battleship built in Germany . It was thought that the Japanese navy could not match this ship at this time , as Japan lacked battleships and the Dingyuan had a heavier tonnage than the most modern Japanese cruisers of the time . ( The Dingyuan was eventually scuttled after the Battle of Weihaiwei . ) Japan ' s setback during the Gapsin Coup , in which 400 Japanese soldiers had been driven off by 2000 Qing soldiers , was still recent and fresh . Bean Controversy . A poor harvest in 1889 caused a governor of Hamgyong province to prohibit soybean exports to Japan . Japan requested compensation in 1893 for their importers , and eventually received it . The incident highlighted the growing dependence Japan felt on Korean agriculture imports . Kim Ok - gyun affair . On March 28 , 1894 , a pro - Japanese Korean revolutionary , Kim Ok - gyun , was assassinated in Shanghai . Kim had fled to Japan after his involvement in the 1884 coup and the Japanese had turned down Korean demands that he be extradited . Ultimately , he was lured to Shanghai where he was killed by a fellow Korean , Hong Jong - u , at a Japanese inn in the international settlement . His body was then taken aboard a Chinese warship and sent back to Korea , where it was quartered and displayed as a warning to other rebels . The Japanese government was outraged , taking this as a direct affront to its stature and dignity . Tonghak Rebellion . The tension was high by June 1894 , but war was certainly not yet inevitable . A rebellion in Korea caused Korean king to request Chinese troops on June 4 to aid in suppressing the Tonghak Rebellion . The rebellion proved not to be as dangerous as initially thought and the Chinese troops were not required to put down the rebellion . The Chinese government sent General Yuan Shikai as its plenipotentiary at the head of 2 , 800 troops . According to the Japanese , the Chinese government did not inform the Japanese government of its decision to send troops to the Korean peninsula , and in doing so failed to comply with the Convention of Tientsin . In the face of China ' s violation of the convention , the Japanese countered and sent their own 8 , 000 - man expeditionary force ( the Oshima Composite Brigade ) to Korea . The first 400 troops arrived on June 9 en route to Seoul , and 3000 landed at Inchon on June 12 . However , according to the Chinese , the Japanese encouraged the Chinese to honor the Koreans ' request by sending in the troops . In addition , Japanese officials also implied that Japan had no intention to intervene . As a result , the key Chinese official Li Hongzhang " was lured into believing that Japan would not wage war , whereas Tokyo was fully prepared to act . " Japan requested that China and Japan co - operate to reform the Korean government , which China refused . Korea requested that Japan withdraw its troops which Japan refused . The Japanese force of 8 , 000 strong subsequently seized the king , occupied the Royal Palace in Seoul by early June 1894 , and replaced the existing government with members from the pro - Japanese faction . A new government was formed July 25 . Though Chinese troops were already leaving Korea , finding themselves unneeded there , the new pro - Japanese Korean government granted Japan the right to expel the Chinese troops forcibly , while Japan shipped more troops to Korea . The legitimacy of the new government was rejected by China , and the stage was thus set for conflict . Status of combatants . Japan . Japan ' s reforms under the Meiji emperor gave significant priority to naval construction , and the creation of an effective modern national army and navy . Japan sent numerous military officials abroad for training , and evaluation of the relative strengths and tactics of European armies and navies . Imperial Japanese Navy . The Imperial Japanese Navy was modeled after the British Royal Navy , which at the time was the foremost naval power in the world . British advisors were sent to Japan to train , advise and educate the naval establishment ; while students were in turn sent to the United Kingdom to study and observe the Royal Navy . Through drilling and tuition by Royal Navy instructors , Japan was able to possess a navy expertly skilled in the arts of gunnery and seamanship . At the start of hostilities , the Imperial Japanese Navy contained a fleet of 12 modern warships , ( " Izumi " being added during the war ) , one frigate ( " Takao " ) , 22 torpedo boats , and numerous auxiliary / armed merchant cruisers and converted liners . Japan did not yet have the resources to acquire battleships and so planned to employ the " Jeune École " doctrine which favoured small , fast warships , especially cruisers and torpedo boats , with guns powerful enough to destroy larger craft . Many of Japan ’ s major warships were built in British and French shipyards ( eight British , three French and two Japanese - built ) and 16 of the torpedo boats were known to have been built in France and assembled in Japan . Imperial Japanese Army . The Meiji era government at first modeled the army on the French Army . French advisers had been sent to Japan with two military missions ( in 1872 – 1880 and 1884 ; these were the second and third missions respectively , the first having been under the shogunate ) . Nationwide conscription was enforced in 1873 and a western - style conscript army was established ; military schools and arsenals were also built . In 1886 Japan turned toward the German Army , specifically the Prussian model as the basis for its army . Its doctrines , military system and organisation were studied in detail and adopted by the IJA . In 1885 Jakob Meckel , a German adviser , implemented new measures , such as the reorganization of the command structure of the army into divisions and regiments ; the strengthening of army logistics , transportation , and structures ( thereby increasing mobility ) ; and the establishment of artillery and engineering regiments as independent commands . By the 1890s Japan had at its disposal a modern , professionally trained western - style army which was relatively well equipped and supplied . Its officers had studied in Europe and were well educated in the latest tactics and strategy . By the start of the war , the Imperial Japanese Army could field a total force of 120 , 000 men in two armies and five divisions . China . Although the Beiyang Forces — Beiyang Army and Beiyang Fleet — was the best equipped and symbolized the new modern Chinese military , corruption was a serious problem . Military leaders and officials systematically embezzled funds , even during the war . As a result , the Beiyang Fleet did not purchase any battleships after its establishment in 1888 . The purchase of ammunition stopped in 1891 , with the funding being embezzled to build the Summer Palace in Beijing . Logistics were a huge problem , as construction of railroads in Manchuria had been discouraged . The morale of the Chinese armies was generally very low due to lack of pay and prestige , use of opium and poor leadership which contributed to some rather ignominious withdrawals , such as the abandonment of the very well - fortified and defensible Weihai wei . Beiyang Army . Qing Dynasty China did not have a national army . Following the Taiping Rebellion the army had been segregated into separate Manchu , Mongol , Hui ( Muslim ) and Han Chinese armies , which were further divided into largely independent regional commands . During the war , most of the fighting was done by the Beiyang Army and Beiyang Fleet ; pleas calling for help from other Chinese armies and navies were completely ignored due to regional rivalry . The Huai and Anhwei armies made up the larger Beiyang Army . Qing Muslim General Zuo Baogui ( 左寶貴 ) ( 1837 – 1894 ) , from Shandong province , died in action in Pyongyang in Korea from Japanese artillery in 1894 while securing the city . A memorial to him was constructed . Another General , Ma Yu - kun , who commanded a separate unit , was believed to be the son of the Muslim General Ma Rulong by the Europeans . Ma Yu - kun fought with some success against Japan at Pyongyang during the war and after the war went on to fight in the Boxer Rebellion . Beiyang Fleet . The Beiyang Fleet was one of the four modernised Chinese navies in the late Qing Dynasty . The navies were heavily sponsored by Li Hongzhang , the Viceroy of Zhili . The Beiyang Fleet was the dominant navy in East Asia before the first Sino - Japanese War . However ships were not maintained properly and indiscipline was common . Sentries spent their time gambling , watertight doors were left open , rubbish was dumped in gun barrels and gunpowder for explosive shells was sold and replaced with cocoa . At the Yalu river , a battleship had one of its guns pawned by Admiral Ting . " 13 or so torpedo boats , numerous " " Gunboats and chartered merchant vessels " Foreign opinions of Chinese and Japanese forces . The prevailing view in the West was that the modernized Chinese armies and navies would crush and defeat the Japanese . Chinese armies like the Anhui Army and Beiyang Fleet were commended and admired by the Western observers . They perceived China as militarily stronger . Japan looked like it would lose , according to the German General Staff . A British advisor to the Chinese military , William Lang , was interviewed by Reuter . He praised the state of the Chinese armed forces and its training , modern ships , guns , and equipment . He stated that " in the end , there is no doubt that Japan must be utterly crushed " , and viewed Japan as fated to lose the war . Contemporaneous wars being fought by China . At the same time China was fighting the First Sino Japanese War , other parts of the Chinese army were fighting in the Dungan revolt ( 1895 – 1896 ) against rebels in Northwestern China , in which thousands were killed . Early stages of the war . 1 June 1894 : The Tonghak Rebel Army moves toward Seoul . The Korean government requests help from the Chinese government to suppress the revolt . 6 June 1894 : Approximately 2 , 465 Chinese soldiers are transported to Korea to suppress the Revolt . Japan asserts that it was not notified and thus China has violated the Convention of Tientsin , which requires that China and Japan must notify each other before intervening in Korea . China asserts that Japan was notified and approved of Chinese intervention . 8 June 1894 : First of approximately 4 , 000 Japanese soldiers and 500 marines land at Jemulpo ( Incheon ) . 11 June 1894 : End of Tonghak Rebellion . 13 June 1894 : The Japanese government telegraphs the commander of the Japanese forces in Korea , Ōtori Keisuke , to remain in Korea for as long as possible despite the end of the rebellion . 16 June 1894 : Japanese Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu meets with Wang Fengzao , Chinese ambassador to Japan , to discuss the future status of Korea . Wang states that the Chinese government intends to pull out of Korea after the rebellion has been suppressed and expects Japan to do the same . However , China also appoints a resident to look after Chinese interests in Korea and to re - assert Korea ’ s traditional subservient status to China . 22 June 1894 : Additional Japanese troops arrive in Korea . Japanese Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi tells Matsukata Masayoshi that he did not think that negotiations would work , and since the Qing appeared to be making military preparations , there was probably " no policy but to go to war . " Mutsu tells Ōtori to press the Korean government on the Japanese demands . 26 June 1894 : Ōtori presents a set of reform proposals to Gojong , which the Korean government rejects , and in return insists on troop withdrawals . 7 July 1894 : Mediation between China and Japan arranged by the British ambassador to China fails . 19 July 1894 : Establishment of Japanese Combined Fleet , consisting of almost all vessels in the Imperial Japanese Navy , in preparation for upcoming war . Mutsu cables Ōtori to take whatever steps he thought necessary to compel the Korean government to carry out a reform programme . 23 July 1894 : Japanese troops enter Seoul , seize the Korean King and establish a new pro - Japanese government , which terminates all Sino - Korean treaties and grants the Imperial Japanese Army the right to expel the Chinese Beiyang Army troops from Korea . 25 July 1894 : First battle of the war Battle of Pungdo / Hoto - oki kaisen Events during the war . Opening moves . China first sent troops into Korea on the invitation of the Korean government to suppress a rebellion . In response , Japan had sent 500 troops to Seoul on June 9 , then 3000 on June 12 , and continued to bring reinforcements . By July 1894 Chinese forces in Korea were numbered 3000 – 3500 and were outnumbered by Japan . They could only be supplied by sea through the Bay of Asan . The Japanese objective was first to blockade the Chinese at Asan ( south of Seoul , South Korea ) and then encircle them with their land forces . Sinking of the " Kow - shing " . On 25 July 1894 , the cruisers " Yoshino " , " Naniwa " and " Akitsushima " of the Japanese flying squadron , which had been patrolling off Asan , encountered the Chinese cruiser " Tsi - yuan " and gunboat " Kwang - yi " . These vessels had steamed out of Asan in order to meet another Chinese gunboat , the " Tsao - kiang " , which was escorting a transport toward Asan . After a brief , hour - long engagement , the " Tsi - yuan " escaped while the " Kwang - yi " became stranded on rocks , where its powder - magazine exploded . The " Kow - shing " was a 2 , 134 - ton British merchant vessel owned by the " Indochina Steam Navigation Company " of London , commanded by Captain T . R . Galsworthy and crewed by 64 men . The ship was chartered by the Qing government to ferry troops to Korea ; the " Kow - shing " was on her way to Asan to reinforce Chinese forces there : 1 , 200 troops plus supplies and equipment were on board the vessel . A German artillery officer , Major von Hanneken , acting as an advisor to the Chinese , was also aboard . The ship was due to arrive on 25 July . The cruiser " Naniwa " ( under the command of Captain Tōgō Heihachirō ) intercepted the two ships . The gunboat was eventually captured . The Japanese then ordered the " Kow - shing " to follow " Naniwa " and requested that the Europeans on board be transferred to " Naniwa " . However the 1 , 200 Chinese on board desired to return to Taku , and threatened to kill the English captain , Galsworthy , and his crew . After four hours of negotiations , Captain Togo gave the order to fire upon the vessel . A torpedo fired from the " Naniwa " missed the " Kow Shing " ; " Naniwa " then fired a broadside which hit the " Kow shing " ; this was enough to distract the Chinese guarding the Europeans and allowed some of the Europeans to jump overboard , only to be fired upon by the Chinese . The Japanese rescued three of the 43 crew ( the captain , first officer and quartermaster ) and a German passenger , and took them to Japan ; the rest died in the sinking . The sinking of the " Kow - shing " almost caused a diplomatic incident between Japan and Great Britain , but the action was ruled in conformity with international law regarding the treatment of mutineers . Only three ships rescued any Chinese troops . The German gunboat " Iltis " rescued 150 Chinese soldiers . The French gunboat " Le Lion " rescued 43 Chinese soldiers . The British Cruiser HMS " Porpoise " also rescued an unknown number of troops . No Japanese ships rescued Chinese troops in the water and it is estimated over 900 died in the sinking . Conflict in Korea . Commissioned by the new pro - Japanese Korean government to expel the Chinese forces from Korean territory by force , Major - General Ōshima Yoshimasa led mixed Japanese brigades numbering about 4 , 000 on a rapid forced march from Seoul south toward Asan Bay to face 3 , 500 Chinese troops garrisoned at Seonghwan Station east of Asan and Kongju . On 28 July 1894 , the two forces met just outside Asan in an engagement that lasted till 0730 hours the next morning . The Chinese gradually lost ground to the superior Japanese numbers , and finally broke and fled towards Pyongyang . Chinese casualties amounted to 500 killed and wounded , compared to 82 Japanese casualties . War between China and Japan was officially declared on 1 August 1894 . The remaining Chinese forces in Korea , by August 4 , retreated to the northern city of Pyongyang , where they eventually joined troops sent from China . The 13 , 000 – 15 , 000 defenders made extensive repairs and preparations to the city , hoping to check the Japanese advance . The Imperial Japanese Army converged on Pyongyang from several directions on 15 September 1894 . The Japanese assaulted the city and eventually defeated the Chinese by an attack from the rear ; the defenders surrendered . By taking advantage of heavy rainfall and using the cover of darkness , the remaining troops marched out of Pyongyang and headed northeast toward the coast and the city of Uiju . Casualties were 2 , 000 killed and around 4 , 000 wounded for the Chinese , while the Japanese lost 102 men killed , 433 wounded and 33 missing . The entire Japanese army entered the city of Pyongyang on the early morning of 16 September 1894 . Defeat of the Beiyang fleet . On September 17 , 1894 , Japanese warships encountered the larger Chinese Beiyang Fleet off the mouth of the Yalu River . The Imperial Japanese Navy destroyed eight out of the ten Chinese warships , assuring Japan ' s command of the Yellow Sea . The Chinese were able to land 4 , 500 troops near the Yalu River . The Battle of the Yalu River was the largest naval engagement of the war and was a major propaganda victory for Japan . Invasion of Manchuria . With the defeat at Pyongyang , the Chinese abandoned northern Korea and instead took up defensive positions in fortifications along their side of the Yalu River near Jiuliancheng . After receiving reinforcements by 10 October , the Japanese quickly pushed north toward Manchuria . On the night of 24 October 1894 , the Japanese successfully crossed the Yalu River , undetected , by erecting a pontoon bridge . The following afternoon of 25 October at 5 : 00 pm , they assaulted the outpost of Hushan , east of Jiuliancheng . At 10 : 30 pm the defenders deserted their positions and by the next day they were in full retreat from Jiuliancheng . With the capture of Jiuliancheng , General Yamagata ' s 1st Army Corps occupied the nearby city of Dandong , while to the north , elements of the retreating Beiyang Army set fire to the city of Fengcheng . The Japanese had established a firm foothold on Chinese territory with the loss of only four killed and 140 wounded . The Japanese 1st Army Corps then split into two groups with General Nozu Michitsura ' s 5th Provincial Division advancing toward the city of Mukden ( now Shenyang , China ) and Lieutenant General Katsura Tarō ' s 3rd Provincial Division pursuing fleeing Chinese forces west along toward the Liaodong Peninsula . By December the 3rd Provincial Division had captured the towns of Ta - tung - kau , Ta - ku - shan , Xiuyan , Tomu - cheng , Hai - cheng and Kang - wa - seh . The 5th Provincial Division marched during a severe Manchurian winter towards Mukden . The Japanese 2nd Army Corps under Ōyama Iwao landed on the south coast of Liaodong Peninsula on 24 October and quickly moved to capture Kin - chow and Talienwan on 6 – 7 November . The Japanese laid siege to the strategic port of Lushunkou . Fall of Lüshunkou . By 21 November 1894 , the Japanese had taken the city of Lüshunkou ( Port Arthur ) . The Japanese army massacred thousands of the city ' s civilian Chinese inhabitants in an event that came to be called the Port Arthur Massacre ( note that the scale and nature of the killing continues to be debated ) . By 10 December 1894 , Kaipeng ( modern - day Gaixian ) fell to the Japanese 1st Army Corps . Fall of Weihaiwei . The Chinese fleet subsequently retreated behind the Weihai wei fortifications . However , they were then surprised by Japanese ground forces , who outflanked the harbor ' s defenses . The battle of Weihaiwei would be a 23 - day siege with the major land and naval components taking place between 20 January and 12 February 1895 . After Weihaiwei ' s fall on 12 February 1895 , and an easing of harsh winter conditions , Japanese troops pressed further into southern Manchuria and northern China . By March 1895 the Japanese had fortified posts that commanded the sea approaches to Beijing . This would be the last major battle to be fought ; numerous skirmishes would follow . The Battle of Yinkou was fought outside the port town of Yingkou , Manchuria , on 5 March 1895 . Occupation of the Pescadores Islands . On 23 March 1895 , Japanese forces attacked the Pescadores Islands , off the west coast of Taiwan . In a brief and almost bloodless campaign the Japanese defeated the islands ' Qing garrison and occupied the main town of Makung . This operation effectively prevented Chinese forces in Taiwan from being reinforced , and allowed the Japanese to press their demand for the cession of Taiwan in the negotiations leading to the conclusion of the Treaty of Shimonoseki in April 1895 . End of the war . The Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed on 17 April 1895 . China recognized the total independence of Korea and ceded the Liaodong Peninsula ( in the south of the present day Liaoning Province ) , Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to Japan " in perpetuity " . The disputed islands known as " Senkaku / Diaoyu " islands were not named by this treaty , but Japan annexed these uninhabited islands to Okinawa prefecture in 1895 . Japan asserts this move was taken independently of the treaty ending the war , and China asserts that they were implied as part of the cession of Taiwan . Additionally , China was to pay Japan 200 million Kuping taels as reparation . China also signed a commercial treaty permitting Japanese ships to operate on the Yangtze River , to operate manufacturing factories in treaty ports and to open four more ports to foreign trade . The Triple Intervention , however , forced Japan to give up the Liaodong Peninsula in exchange for another 30 million Kuping taels " ( 450 million yen ) " . After the war , according to the Chinese scholar , Jin Xide , the Qing government paid a total of 34 , 000 , 000 taels ( 13 , 600 tons ) of silver to Japan for both the reparations of war and war trophies . This was equivalent to ( then ) 510 , 000 , 000 Japanese yen , about 6 . 4 times the Japanese government revenue . Japanese invasion of Taiwan . Several Qing officials in Taiwan resolved to resist the cession of Taiwan to Japan under the Treaty of Shimonoseki , and on 23 May declared the island to be an independent Republic of Formosa . On 29 May Japanese forces under Admiral Motonori Kabayama landed in northern Taiwan , and in a five - month campaign defeated the Republican forces and occupied the island ' s main towns . The campaign effectively ended on 21 October 1895 , with the flight of Liu Yung - fu , the second Republican president , and the surrender of the Republican capital Tainan . Aftermath . The Japanese success during the war was the result of the modernization and industrialization embarked upon two decades earlier . The war demonstrated the superiority of Japanese tactics and training as a result of the adoption of a Western - style military . The Imperial Japanese Army and navy were able to inflict a string of defeats on the Chinese through foresight , endurance , strategy and power of organization . Japanese prestige rose in the eyes of the world . The victory established Japan as the dominant power in Asia . The war for China revealed the ineffectiveness of its government , its policies , and the corruption of the Qing administration . Traditionally China viewed Japan as a subordinate outlier of the Chinese cultural sphere . Although Qing China had already been defeated by European powers in the 19th century , a defeat at the hands of fellow Asians and a former tributary state was a bitter psychological blow . Anti - foreign sentiment and agitation grew and would later culminate in the form of the Boxer Rebellion five years later . Although Japan had achieved what it had set out to accomplish , mainly to end Chinese influence over Korea , Japan reluctantly had been forced to relinquish the Liaodong Peninsula , ( Port Arthur ) , in exchange for an increased financial indemnity . The European powers ( Russia especially ) , while having no objection to the other clauses of the treaty , did feel that Japan should not gain Port Arthur , for they had their own ambitions in that part of the world . Russia persuaded Germany and France to join her in applying diplomatic pressure on the Japanese , resulting in the Triple Intervention of 23 April 1895 . Japan succeeded in eliminating Chinese influence over Korea , but ironically , it was Russia who reaped the benefits . Korea proclaimed itself the Korean Empire announcing its independence from China . The Japanese sponsored Gabo reforms ( Kabo reforms ) from 1894 - 1896 transformed Korea : slavery was legally abolished in all forms ; the yangban class lost all special privileges ; outcastes were abolished ; equality of law ; equality of opportunity in the face of social background ; marriage ages were raised , abolishing child marriage ; Hangul was to be used in government documents ; Korean history was introduced in schools ; Ming calendar was replaced with the western ( common era ) ; education was expanded and new textbooks written . In 1895 , a pro - Russian official tried to remove the king of Korea to the Russian legation and failed , but a second attempt succeeded so for a year the King reigned from the Russian legation in Seoul . The concession to build a Seoul - Inchon railway had been granted to Japan in 1894 was revoked and granted to Russia . Russian guards guarded the king in his palace even after he left the Russian legation . In 1898 , Russia signed a 25 - year lease on the Liaodong Peninsula and proceeded to set up a naval station at Port Arthur . Although this infuriated the Japanese , they were more concerned with Russian encroachment toward Korea than in Manchuria . Other powers , such as France , Germany and Great Britain , took advantage of the situation in China and gained port and trade concessions at the expense of the decaying Qing Empire . Tsingtao and Kiaochow was acquired by Germany , Kwang - Chou - Wan by France and Weihaiwei by Great Britain . Tensions between Russia and Japan would increase in the years after the First Sino - Japanese war . During the Boxer Rebellion an eight - member international force was sent to suppress and quell the uprising ; Russia sent troops into Manchuria as part of this force . After the suppression of the Boxers the Russian government agreed to vacate the area . However , by 1903 it had actually increased the size of its forces in Manchuria . Negotiations between the two nations ( 1901 – 1904 ) to establish mutual recognition of respective spheres of influence ( Russia over Manchuria and Japan over Korea ) were repeatedly and intentionally stalled by the Russians . They felt that they were strong and confident enough not to accept any compromise and believed Japan would not dare go to war against a European power . Russia also had intentions to use Manchuria as a springboard for further expansion of its interests in the Far East . In 1903 , Russian soldiers began construction of a fort at Yongnampo but stopped at Japanese protests . In 1902 Japan formed an alliance with Britain , the terms of which stated that if Japan went to war in the Far East and that a third power entered the fight against Japan , then Britain would come to the aid of the Japanese . This was a check to prevent either Germany or France from intervening militarily in any future war with Russia . Japan sought to prevent a repetition of the Triple Intervention that deprived her of Port Arthur . The British reasons for joining the alliance were : to check the spread of Russian expansion into the Pacific area ; to strengthen Britain ' s hand to focus on other areas and to gain a powerful naval ally in the Pacific . Increasing tensions between Japan and Russia as a result of Russia ' s unwillingness to enter into a compromise and the prospect of Korea falling under Russia ' s domination , therefore coming into conflict with and undermining Japan ' s interests , compelled Japan to take action . This would be the deciding factor and catalyst that would lead to the Russo - Japanese War of 1904 – 05 .