April 17, 1895
Peace Declared! We're On Our Way
By Alex Avery
I would like to be the first to say that today is a victorious day and a reward for our country's hard work. The Treaty of Shimonoseki, officially ending the Sino-Japanese War, will protect our soldiers and bring glory to our nation. The treaty stipulates China’s recognition of Korean independence; payment of an indemnity of 200 million taels; cession of Taiwan, the Pescadores Islands, and the Liaodong Peninsula; and conclusion of commercial treaty, opening several ports and other places for Japanese as well as Western economic activities.(1) The victory in the Sino-Japanese War will establish our country as the dominant power in East Asia and the large indemnity will definitely help Japanese industrialization.(2) This treaty will bring us prosperity, but we would not have made it to this high point if it weren't for the Meiji Restoration.
War almost broke out in 1884 when a group of pro-Japanese reformers attempted to overthrow the Korean government, but 
Chinese troops under Gen Yuan Shih-k’ai rescued the King and controlled the Japanese rebels. War was avoided between us and China due to the signing of the Li-Ito Convention causing both nations to withdraw troops from Korea. Even though I wanted to go to war with our arrogant neighbors to the west, it would prove to be a smart move to wait. In the next ten years, we raised taxes and stepped up war preparations which ended up paying off.
In 1894 with us at the height of our industrialization, our beloved, pro-Japanese Korean leader Kim Ok-kyun (to the right) was assassinated by Chinese agents and then quartered and displayed to Japanese rebels.(3) Our nation was enraged which led to the Tonghak rebellion in Korea which the Chinese government sent troops in to disperse the rebels. No leader of ours would be dishonored in front of his own people without them paying for it. Because the sending of troops was a violation of the Li-Ito convention, we immediately decided to send 8,000 troops to Korea. This was the beginning of a humiliating defeat for China. As soon as China began to reinforce their troops, we sank their British steamer. This was one of many won battles that would lead us to victory. According to the emperor, “The next step was war.”(4)
On August 1, 1894, our well-organized army officially declared war against China’s disorganized, often ill-equipped army. We scored quick and overwhelming victories on both land and sea. By March 1895 we had successfully invaded Shantung and Manchuria and had fortified posts that commanded the sea approaches to Peking.(5) As China lost more and more battles, they began to pursue peace. They now not only respected us, but also feared us. Towards the end of March, a peace conference was held consisting of the stubborn Chinese resisting the severe demands of the Japanese. As of today, due to the Treaty of Shimonoseki, peace has been declared between Japan and the Chinese and status has been gained by our great country.
This war will not only brought us economic prosperity, but it also will secure a future for our country. The Westerners will no longer look past us, but rather respect, if not fear us. We will no longer be stereotyped and mocked as in this image to the left. We have earned a great sum of money, economic possibilities such as trading in China, and new islands expanding our territory. All of this will further help our industrialization process, yet it will also politically and militarily place our country as the leading power in East Asia. Our future is looking bright, yet we should not stop here. Let’s not make the mistake China did of becoming comfortable with our position in the world for we are better than them. Let us keep pursuing power and victory until we have reached the top.
Footnotes
Text
1. Shumpei Okamoto, “Sino-Japanese War,” Encyclopedia of Asian History 4 vols. (1988). Available from Gale, History Resource Center, Menlo School Lib. <http://library.menloschool.org> (accessed 2 December 2005).
2. Ibid.
3. Guilford A. Dudley, A History of Eastern Civilizations (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1973), 379.
4. Encyclopedia of Modern Asia, 2002 ed., s.v. "Sino-Japanese War."
5. Shumpei Okamoto.
Images
1. "Kim Ok-Kyun," Penn Su: The First Korean Experience <http://online.sfsu.edu/~chulheo/html/body_penn_su.html> (accessed 2 Deceber 2005).
2. "Sino-Japanese Cigar Add," Two Faces of the Oriental(ist):
Missionary and Travel Ethnography in China and Japan <http://www.press.uillinois.edu/epub/books/ferens/ch1.html> (accessed 2 December 2005).