---
title: 宣戦ノ詔勅 (Imperial Rescript declaring war on China), Kanpō extra no. 3328, 2 August 1894
url: https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/kanpo-declaration-of-war-on-china-1894/
description: The gazette extra prints the Emperor's declaration of war on China, dated 1 August 1894, addressed to 'you, Our loyal and brave subjects'.
section: Collection
---

[Collection](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/)

**Content note:** Official wartime declaration assigning blame for the war to the Qing government; no imagery. This object is shown as it was published. [Why](https://propagandaarchive.org/about/#as-it-was)

[![宣戦ノ詔勅 (Imperial Rescript declaring war on China), Kanpō extra no. 3328, 2 August 1894](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/kanpo-declaration-of-war-on-china-1894.jpg)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/kanpo-declaration-of-war-on-china-1894.jpg)

# 宣戦ノ詔勅 (Imperial Rescript declaring war on China), Kanpō extra no. 3328, 2 August 1894

The gazette extra prints the Emperor's declaration of war on China, dated 1 August 1894, addressed to 'you, Our loyal and brave subjects'. It sets Japan's twenty years of 'peace' and 'civilization' against a Qing 'plan' to keep Korea dependent, and assigns the rupture to Qing obstruction; the virtue words and the single-party blame are the tells.

## Text on the object

Original (Japanese (classical, katakana and kanji)) · read from the image, not independently checked

```
[header] 官報號外　明治二十七年八月二日　木曜日　內閣官報局

○詔勅

天佑ヲ保全シ萬世一系ノ皇祚ヲ踐メル大日本帝國皇帝ハ忠實勇武ナル汝有衆ニ示ス

朕茲ニ淸國ニ對シテ戰ヲ宣ス朕カ百僚有司ハ宜ク朕カ意ヲ體シ陸上海面ニ淸國ニ對シテ交戰ノ事ニ從ヒ以テ國家ノ目的ヲ達スルニ努力スヘシ苟モ國際法ニ戻ラサル限リ各〻權能ニ應シテ一切ノ手段ヲ盡スニ於テ必ス遺漏ナカラムコトヲ期セヨ

惟フニ朕カ卽位以來茲ニ二十有餘年文明ノ化ヲ平和ノ治ニ求メ事ヲ外國ニ構フルノ極メテ不可ナルヲ信シ有司ヲシテ常ニ友邦ノ誼ヲ篤クスルニ努力セシメ幸ニ列國ノ交際年ヲ逐ヒテ親密ヲ加フ何ソ料ラム淸國ノ朝鮮事件ニ於ケル我ニ對シテ著著鄰交ニ戻リ信義ヲ失スルノ擧ニ出テムトハ

朝鮮ハ帝國カ其ノ始ニ啓誘シテ列國ノ伍伴ニ就カシメタル獨立ノ一國タリ而シテ淸國ハ每ニ自ラ朝鮮ヲ以テ屬邦ト稱シ陰ニ陽ニ其ノ內政ニ干涉シ其ノ內亂アルニ於テ口ヲ屬邦ノ拯難ニ藉キ兵ヲ朝鮮ニ出シタリ朕ハ明治十五年ノ條約ニ依リ兵ヲ出シ變ニ備ヘシメ更ニ朝鮮ヲシテ禍亂ヲ永遠ニ免レ治安ヲ將來ニ保タシメ以テ東洋全局ノ平和ヲ維持セムト欲シ先ツ淸國ニ告クルニ協同事ニ從ハムコトヲ以テシタルニ淸國ハ翻テ種種ノ辭柄ヲ設ケ之ヲ拒ミタリ帝國ハ是ニ於テ朝鮮ニ勸ムルニ其ノ秕政ヲ釐革シ內ハ治安ノ基ヲ堅クシ外ハ獨立國ノ權義ヲ全クセムコトヲ以テシタルニ朝鮮ハ既ニ之ヲ肯諾シタルモ淸國ハ終始陰ニ居テ百方其ノ目的ヲ妨碍シ剰ヘ辭ヲ左右ニ托シ時機ヲ緩ニシ以テ其ノ水陸ノ兵備ヲ整ヘ一旦成ルヲ告クルヤ直ニ其ノ力ヲ以テ其ノ慾望ヲ達セムトシ更ニ大兵ヲ韓土ニ派シ我艦ヲ韓海ニ要擊シ殆ト亡狀ヲ極メタリ則チ淸國ノ計圖タル明ニ朝鮮國治安ノ責ヲシテ歸スル所アラサラシメ帝國カ率先シテ之ヲ諸獨立國ノ列ニ伍セシメタル朝鮮ノ地位ハ之ヲ表示スルノ條約ト共ニ之ヲ蒙晦ニ付シ以テ帝國ノ權利利益ヲ損傷シ以テ東洋ノ平和ヲシテ永ク擔保ナカラシムルニ存スルヤ疑フヘカラス熟〻其ノ爲ス所ニ就テ深ク其ノ謀計ノ存スル所ヲ揣ルニ實ニ始ヨリ平和ヲ犧牲トシテ其ノ非望ヲ遂ケムトスルモノト謂ハサルヘカラス事既ニ茲ニ至ル朕平和ト相終始シテ以テ帝國ノ光榮ヲ中外ニ宣揚スルニ專ナリト雖亦公ニ戰ヲ宣セサルヲ得サルナリ汝有衆ノ忠實勇武ニ倚賴シ速ニ平和ヲ永遠ニ克復シ以テ帝國ノ光榮ヲ全クセムコトヲ期ス

御名御璽

明治二十七年八月一日

內閣總理大臣　伯爵　伊藤博文　[followed by the countersigning ministers]
```

English translation (machine translation by Claude, not verified by a fluent reader)

```
[header] Official Gazette, Extra. Meiji 27 (1894), 2 August, Thursday. Cabinet Official Gazette Bureau.

Imperial Rescript

The Emperor of Great Japan, who by Heaven's protection occupies the throne of a line unbroken for ten thousand generations, makes known to you, Our loyal and brave subjects:

We hereby declare war on China. Let Our hundred officials and functionaries, mindful of Our will, carry on hostilities against China by land and sea and strive to attain the purpose of the state. So long as they do not violate international law, let each, according to his authority, exhaust every means, and take care that nothing is left undone.

We consider that in the more than twenty years since Our accession We have sought the civilizing influence of culture through the government of peace, believing it highly improper to make trouble with foreign countries, and have always had Our officials strive to deepen friendly relations; and happily Our relations with the powers have grown closer year by year. How could We have expected that China, in the Korean affair, would act toward Us in plain breach of neighbourly relations and good faith?

Korea is an independent country which the Empire at the outset led and induced to take its place among the community of the powers. China, however, has always called Korea her dependent state, has interfered in its internal affairs openly and covertly, and, on an internal rebellion there, pleading the rescue of a dependency, sent troops to Korea. We, in accordance with the treaty of Meiji 15 (1882), sent troops to guard against disturbance, and, wishing further to free Korea from disorder for ever, to keep order in future and so to maintain the peace of the whole East, first proposed to China that they act jointly; but China, on the contrary, devised various pretexts and refused. The Empire then urged Korea to reform its misgovernment, to firm the basis of internal order and to fulfil the rights and duties of an independent state; Korea having already agreed, China throughout remained behind the scenes, obstructed that aim in every way, and moreover, putting off her answers right and left and delaying the occasion in order to complete her naval and military preparations, the moment they were ready sought to attain her desires by force, sent large forces to Korean soil, and attacked Our warships in Korean waters, to an extreme of lawlessness. China's design was plainly to leave no one responsible for the order of Korea, and to consign to obscurity, together with the treaty that sets it out, the position of Korea which the Empire was first to bring into the ranks of independent states, thereby injuring the rights and interests of the Empire and leaving the peace of the East for ever without security. Examining closely what she has done and probing the purpose of her scheming, one cannot but say that from the beginning she meant to attain her unreasonable ambitions at the sacrifice of peace. Matters having come to this, We, although devoted to remaining at peace and to proclaiming the glory of the Empire at home and abroad, cannot but openly declare war. Relying on your loyalty and bravery, We expect that peace will soon be restored for ever and the glory of the Empire made complete.

Imperial name and seal

Meiji 27th year, 8th month, 1st day

Prime Minister, Count Itō Hirobumi [followed by the countersigning ministers]
```

Printed in right-to-left vertical columns without punctuation. Reading is Claude's own, cross-checked against the standard published text; a few characters in the dense lower block were read at reduced resolution. Translation is a literal machine rendering, not checked by a fluent reader.

[← En posesión de su presa (In Possession of Its Prey)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/en-posesion-de-su-presa-el-diablo-1894/) [劉永福懸賞抓拿日本奸細告示 (Liu Yongfu's notice offering rewards for capturing Japanese spies), Taiwan →](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/liu-yongfu-reward-notice-japanese-spies-1895/)

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