This was a war whose origins lay in the Korean question. In the Tientsin Convention of 1885 Japan and China had averted a war that had seemed probable by agreeing to withdraw their troops from Korea , where both parties had been building up sizeable contingents in Seoul , and by agreeing that if either country's future interests required intervention in Korea then the other country was to be forewarned and permitted to dispatch a comparable number of troops. In 1894 there occurred a rebellion in Korea in which the rebels defeated the regular army. The Korean king appealed to his suzerain power (China) to come to his aid. China responded , and fulfilled its treaty obligations by informing Japan of the dispatch of 2000 troops to Seoul. Japan reacted by occupying Pusan and Chemulpo. China restored the situation in Korea and recommended joint evacuation of the Chinese and Japanese armies , but the Tokyo government resisted , having grown nervous at the weakness of Korea and the prospect of other nations (including European ones) intervening in what she considered her essential sphere of interest. Japan asked China to initiate a number of reforms within Korea , to which China replied indignantly that the affairs of Korea were of no concern to Japan. Thus the two empires slid into war . . .
It was a short war lasting a total of 8 months
Captain Togo attacked a Chinese transport fleet in which 1200 soldiers and sailors perished. On land there was a 2-pronged attack: After the Battle of Pyongyang (15 Sep 1894) the First Japanese Army advanced northwest into Manchuria , while the Second Japanese Army landed on the Liaotung Peninsular , 24th October 1894 . They joined forces 6th March 1895 to annihilate the Chinese at Tienchuangtai.
The Chinese Navy was defeated at the Battle of the Yalu (Sep 1894) and Wei-Hai-Wei (besieged and surrendered February 1895).
With the Shantung peninsular occupied China sued for peace.
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