<Tr> <Th> Hangul </Th> <Td> 청일 전쟁 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Hanja </Th> <Td> 淸 日 戰爭 </Td> </Tr> <P> The First Sino - Japanese War (25 July 1894--17 April 1895) was fought between the Qing Empire and the Empire of Japan, primarily over influence of Korea . After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the port of Weihaiwei, the Qing government sued for peace in February 1895 . </P> <P> The war demonstrated the failure of the Qing Empire's attempts to modernize its military and fend off threats to its sovereignty, especially when compared with Japan's successful Meiji Restoration . For the first time, regional dominance in East Asia shifted from China to Japan; the prestige of the Qing Empire, along with the classical tradition in China, suffered a major blow . The humiliating loss of Korea as a tributary state sparked an unprecedented public outcry . Within China, the defeat was a catalyst for a series of political upheavals led by Sun Yat - sen and Kang Youwei, culminating in the 1911 Xinhai Revolution . </P>

Who won the first sino japanese war and why