Asia 805
Fatalities: None
Narrative: The Japan-China rivalry centered around preeminence in Korea. In
December 1884, there was a coup d’état in Seoul. The Japanese tried to capitalize by
conspiring with the rebelling faction in Korea to assassinate several important mem-
bers of Queen Min’s clan. Though China was involved in a conflict with France over
Annam, Chinese military officials in Korea came to the defense of the ruling faction
and began a small-scale conflict with Japanese officials in the Korean palace. The Jap-
anese conspirators eventually escaped to Japan. Negotiations began in January 1885
and were ultimately concluded on April 18, 1885, with the Convention of Tientsin.
MID#1488
Dispute Number: 1488
Date(s): October 1885 to November 1885
Participants: 2 United States of America, 200 United Kingdom, 710 China/740 Japan
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (None)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: China had just sent its new president, Yuan Shikai, to Inchon, Korea, in
October 1885, when Chinese, American, and British naval gunboats arrived off the
coast in response to rumors that the leader of a previous coup d’état, Kim Ok Kiun,
was returning to Korea along with Japanese forces. The rumor persisted until the end
of 1885, but Kim Ok Kiun never returned and no conflict occurred.
MID#1490
Dispute Number: 1490
Date(s): June 5, 1894 to April 17, 1895
Participants: 740 Japan/710 China, 730 Korea
Outcome (and Settlement): Victory for side A (Imposed)
Fatalities: >999 deaths
Narrative: Korea had remained successfully isolated from the rest of the international
system up until the middle of the 19th century. China had kept Korea as a dependent
but was struggling to keep its presence in Korea strong and deter outside meddling.
Interest in Korea came from across Europe and also Japan. Japan had successfully
opened up Korea to the international system following a militarized incident in 1875.
Japan’s growing presence and China’s desire to maintain its position in Korea led to
the Tientsin Convention in 1885 in which both China and Japan agreed to notify the
other if their troops were going to be sent to Korea. Nine years later, the Donghak
Peasant Uprising (1894) against the Korean government led to Korean pleas from
China for assistance. China sent 2,000 soldiers and various elements of its fleet, and
Japan responded under the auspices of the Tientsin Convention.
The uncertain atmosphere and tension resulted in the First Sino-Japanese War when
Japan sank a Chinese naval transport on July 25, 1894. The war occurred in a period
when Japan was coming into its own as a military power while China was certainly
on the decline for many years before this war. The Chinese lasted until November
21, 1894. Port Arthur fell victim to a Japanese siege, and the Chinese sued for peace,