청일전쟁 이전 淸의 駐日使節團 파견과 정보 수집 활동 = The Qing Dynasty’s Diplomatic Mission to Japan and Its Intelligence-Gathering Activities before the First Sino-Japanese War

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study analyzes the intelligence-gathering activities conducted by the Qing Dynasty’s diplomatic mission to Japan before the First Sino-Japanese War, focusing on its methods, achievements, and limitations. After Japan’s invasion of Taiwan in 1874, the Qing government gradually recognized the threat posed by Japan and began to strengthen its collection of information related to Japanese politics, military affairs, and foreign policy. In 1877, the Qing government officially dispatched a permanent diplomatic mission to Japan, which continuously collected information through various channels.
The Qing diplomatic mission gathered information through the compilation and translation of books related to Japan, the collection of newspapers and publications, diplomatic negotiations and written exchanges, and the employment of Japanese informants. In particular, publications such as Nihon Kokushi (日本國志) and Nihon Hōsho-shi (日本訪書志) contributed to the Qing government’s systematic understanding of Japan.
The information collected by the diplomatic mission was partially utilized in discussions concerning the Qing Dynasty’s naval construction and policies toward Japan. However, Qing intelligence activities relied heavily on publicly available information and lacked a systematic and professional intelligence structure. Limited financial support and the absence of an institutionalized intelligence system also restricted the effective use of information in policy-making processes.
Therefore, although the Qing diplomatic mission’s intelligence activities failed to prevent Japan’s expansion or the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War, they can still be understood as an early attempt by the Qing government to establish an intelligence and observation system in response to the changing international order in East Asia.