Yesterday, April 17, our country and China signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki in what the honored Emperor Ito Hirobumi called a "desire to restore the blessings of peace to [our] countries and subjects and remove all causes for further complications" (1). This treaty officially marks both Japan's defeat of China and the end of the Sino-Japanese war, which has continued for the last year. The treaty, which will enter into force in May (2), was signed in Shimonoseki city of the Yamaguchi prefecture by His Majesty the Emperor, Ito Hirobumi and His Majesty the Emperor of China(3), Li Hong-Zhang, as well as the Viscount Mutsu Munemitsu and Li Ching-Fong of China (4).

In the treaty, China has agreed to grant Korea full and complete independence and autonomy (5), has ceded the Liaodong Peninsula to Japan, as well as relinquished Taiwan, the Pescadores Islands, and Port Arthur (6) to our country. In addition, China must pay 200 million Kuping taels over the next seven years as insurance and open the ports of Shashih, Chunking, Suchow, Hangchow, and three other ports to Japanese trade (7). In return for the concessions made by Japan, our troops will evacuate China within the three months after the treaty is instilled.

This victory has drawn to our shores the eyes of Russia, Germany and France, who have been in talks with the honored Emperor since the treaty was signed. His Majesty's courtiers declined to comment and no official information has been released; we will report as soon as things develop.

Words from the Editor:

This treaty marks the end of an era, that of Japan as lacking in the status of the European powers, and truly brings us into the ranks of the imperialist nations (8). It also denotes the beginning of Japanese imperialistic expansion(9), following the paths of the Western countries that are now its equals. We have aquired land from another country, and opened new ports to our trade, furthuring the reach of Japanese culture and trade.

As would be expected, the victory over the Chinese and subsequent treaty and concessions seem to have generated interest from the west, especially Russia, Germany, and France, further showing just how much Japan has changed before this, those Western powers would not have blinked and eye at us, but now they see us as either threat (10) or ally; time will only tell.

Perhaps the most interesting change resulting from this triumph is the noticeable shift in the balance of power around Japan and in East Asia. Japan is now seen as the most civilized and dominant country in this area (11), and rightfully so, taking China's place in accordance with the latter's defeat.

It is the opinion of the Editor that Japan will rise to the occasion, and step up to its deserved and long awaited place in the circle of Western Powers as the greatest country in East Asia. We will move into the next century with confidence and influence, asserting Japan as on the same level as, if not superior to, any powerful country in the west.

Citations:

Images:

Image 1. "The Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty Memorial Hall, Shimonoseki City" <http://www.ualberta.ca/~chor/memorial.htm> Louis Chor. Canada, July 1997. Revised May 2001

Image 2. "Dissolution of Nationalism and Development of Internationalism, 1983-1993" The Distortion and the Revision of History in Postwar Japanese Textbooks, 1945-1998. <http://member.nifty.ne.jp/Tomochika/07Period5.htm>

Text

1. "Treaty of Shimonoseki" Taiwan Documents Project.
<http://www.taiwandocuments.org/shimonoseki01.htm>

2. "Taiwan Documents Project.

3. "Shimonoseki, Treaty of" Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Konansha Ltd. Japan,
1993.

4. Taiwan Documents Project.

5. Taiwan Documents Project.

6. "Shimonoseki, Treaty of" Encyclopedia.com.
<http://www.encyclopedia.com/printablenew/42795.html> [Accessed 28 January 2002]

7. Taiwan Documents Project.

8. Schrokaver, Conrad. A Brief History of Chinese and Japanese Civilizations, 2nd
Edition. Harcourt Brace & Company. Orlando, Florida. 1989.

9. Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia

10. Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia

11. Schrokaver, Conrad.

12. "Shimonoseki, Treaty of" Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. <http://www.eb.com:180/bol/topic?eu=69138&sctn=1#s_top> [Accessed 28 January 2002]

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