Japanese and Qing warships clash off Pungdo (near Asan Bay), widely treated as the first naval engagement of the war and a prelude to formal declarations of war.
Japanese forces defeat Qing troops near Seonghwan/Asan in Korea, helping Japan secure operational control on land in the opening phase of the conflict.
China and Japan formally declare war, transforming the escalating Korea crisis into an open interstate conflict.
Japanese troops defeat Qing forces at Pyongyang, forcing a major Chinese retreat northward and consolidating Japan’s military position in Korea.
A decisive Japanese naval victory against the Beiyang Fleet undermines Qing sea power and helps Japan sustain land operations on the Korean and Manchurian fronts.
Japanese forces capture Lüshunkou (Port Arthur) on the Liaodong Peninsula, an important strategic port that further exposes weaknesses in Qing defenses.
Japanese forces attack Qing positions at Weihaiwei, aiming to neutralize remaining Beiyang Fleet elements and secure control of key approaches in Shandong.
The campaign culminates in Japanese victory at Weihaiwei, effectively removing the Beiyang Fleet as a coherent fighting force and increasing pressure for peace talks.
Japan captures the Pescadores (Penghu) Islands, a key step toward enforcing the Taiwan cession by controlling the sea routes between Taiwan and the mainland.
Japan and Qing China sign a temporary armistice at Shimonoseki during peace negotiations, suspending hostilities in specified provinces under agreed conditions.
China and Japan sign the Treaty of Shimonoseki, under which Qing China recognizes Korea’s independence, cedes Taiwan, the Pescadores, and the Liaodong Peninsula, pays a large indemnity, and grants expanded trade privileges.
Russia, Germany, and France intervene diplomatically, urging Japan to renounce the Liaodong Peninsula clause of the peace settlement, reshaping the treaty’s territorial outcome.
The Treaty of Shimonoseki enters into force after ratification/exchange procedures, setting its cessions and obligations on a legal footing.
Local elites in Taiwan proclaim the Republic of Formosa in Taipei, attempting to resist transfer of Taiwan to Japan after the treaty’s cession terms.
Japanese forces land in northern Taiwan, initiating operations to occupy the ceded territory and defeat remaining resistance associated with the short-lived Republic of Formosa.
Following the Triple Intervention, Japan agrees by treaty to return the Liaodong Peninsula to Qing China (in exchange for additional indemnity), limiting Japan’s immediate gains on the Chinese mainland.
First Sino‑Japanese War and the Treaty of Shimonoseki (1894–1895)
