History glossary
Treaty of Shimonoseki
the 1895 peace treaty that ended the First Sino-Japanese War and gave Japan Taiwan.
- Category
- Treaty
- Region
- East Asia
- Date range
- 1895
What it means
The Treaty of Shimonoseki ended the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895. Qing China recognised Korea's independence from the old tributary framework, ceded Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to Japan, and accepted terms that marked Japan's arrival as an imperial power.
Stories using this term
Imperial Japan
From Meiji modernisation to colonial rule, militarism, mobilisation and defeat, Imperial Japan rose as a modern empire before collapsing in 1945.
The Meiji Restoration
From Tokugawa order to imperial restoration, conscription, industrialisation and military victory, the Meiji era transformed Japan into a modern imperial power.
The Qing Dynasty
From Manchu conquest to republican revolution, the Qing dynasty built China's largest empire, oversaw centuries of prosperity, and then struggled to survive foreign intervention, rebellion, and the collapse of imperial legitimacy.
