The Sino-Japanese War, which broke out in July 1894, had its origins in military rivalry between Meiji Japan and Qing China resulting from political upheavals in Korea under the rule of the Yi Dynasty. A peace treaty was signed in April 1895 (Treaty of Shimonoseki) but organised fighting between Japan and China continued until November 1895 over the cession of Taiwan to Japan under the terms of the treaty.

This section examines various aspects of the Sino-Japanese War drawing on Japanese archival documents of the time.