The Treaty of Shimonoseki

The Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed on April 17th 1895, concluding the first Sino-Japanese War and signifying the defeat of China. It was signed in Shunpanrou Hall, Shimonoseki in the Yamaguchi prefecture of Japan.

The main terms included:

• Recognising Korean independence

• Ceding Taiwan, the Pescadores Islands, and the Liaodong Peninsula to Japan

• Paying an indemnity of 200,000,000 kuping taels (equivalent to 7,500,000 kilograms of silver) to Japan 

• Opening the ports of Shashi (沙市), Chongqing (重庆), Suzhou (苏州), and Hangzhou (杭州) to Japanese trade.

Triple Intervention Revisions

• Japan was forced to give up and return the Liaodong Peninsula to China in return for an additional 30 million taels.