Treaty of Shimonoseki Finalizes Japan’s Triumphant Victory
July 24, 1895
On July 17, 1895, after four months of negotiations,
Japanese correspondent Ito Hirobumi signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki with
Chinese counterpart Li Hongzhang that ended the Sino-Japanese War and supplied
the victorious Japan with the major provisions it was seeking.
[1]
The Treaty of Shimonoseki
provided economic opportunities for and transferred new territories to our
great nation of Japan.
Economically, the treaty opened up many new ports along the Chinese
coastline including Shashih, Chungking,
Suchow, and Hangchow, and Japanese cruise, trade, and cargo ships now
have access to all Chinese rivers.[2] Furthermore, Japanese merchants are
hereby allowed to open up new factories.
Additionally, merchants now have the right, temporarily, to rent warehouses for the storage of items they have
purchased or items they are transporting without the payment of any taxes
whatsoever.[3]
The Chinese Empire is paying 200 million
taels as an indemnity to the Japanese Empire for the price of war, which is to
be paid over a period of seven years.[4] Interest at the rate of 5 per centum
per annum will begin on all unpaid portions of the indemnity starting on the
first failure of complete payment of an installment.[5]
“This
treaty clearly marks the beginning of Japan’s glorious imperialistic expansion,
this time at the expense of the dreadful Chinese
Empire,” said Wang Teng, a government official.
Territorially speaking,
Japan has gained the province of Taiwan, the Pescadores Islands, and the
Liaodong Peninsula. Unfortunately,
a few days after the treaty was signed, the countries of Germany, France, and
Russia unjustly forced Japan to give up the Liaodong Peninsula; the motivation
for this action was attributed to their interests on the peninsula, the greedy
imperialistic swine.[6] But we were given compensation in the
form of an indemnity that was paid by the Chinese government at a total sum of
30 millions taels.
Included
within the Treaty of Shimonoseki was an article that declared Korea’s
independence from China, freeing them of a reign that had lasted hundreds of
years.[7] Although the necessary ceremonies and
payments to solidify Korea’s autonomy from China were delayed to a later time,
Korea’s people rejoice at the creation of a free Korean state, although they
will probably come to no good governing themselves.
“I am so happy to be free of Chinese influence and of their corrupt and weak government,” said one Korean university student.
Most importantly, the signing of this treaty marks the
end of the Sino-Japanese
war of 1894-1895. The
war was started when a rebellion against Chinese rule broke out in Korea and
both China and Japan sent troops China to control their state, and Japan
to protect their interests in Korea.
Once the rebellion was smashed, fighting broke out among Japanese and
Chinese troops in July of 1984.
[8]
Our Japanese navy destroyed the puny Chinese
resistance and gloriously took over numerous Chinese towns and ports.
But with the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki the war has ended
and as article
10 proclaims in the treaty, “All
offensive military operations shall cease upon the exchange of the ratifications
of this Act.”
[9]
“This
great victory over China is an example to the world that Japan is a power to be
respected and feared!” shouted Lee Chen, a soldier in the Japanese army full of
patriotic pride.
Images:
1. Louis Chor, “The Shunpanro Japanese Hotel,” January
2003, <http://www.ualberta.ca/~chor/shunpan.htm>
(29 January 2003)
2. Richard Madder, “Sino-Japanese War area of Naval
Operations,” n.d., <http://home.freeuk.com/henridecat/yalu/yalumaps.htm>
(29 January 2003)
3. Lois
Gilder, “Great victory of the Imperial Navy,” n.d.,<http://www.artsanddesignsjapan.com/cat21/text/57.html>
(29 January 2003)