Changes

Military conscription was first established in Meiji period Japan by a set of Conscription Acts in [[1872]]-[[1873]], and later revised in [[1883]]. This established the first citizen army in Japan - the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] - and the first organized in service to the nation-state in the modern sense of the term. Men of all classes were conscripted into service for a period of three years.

Military conscription was first established in Meiji period Japan by a set of Conscription Acts in [[1872]]-[[1873]], and later revised in [[1883]]. This established the first citizen army in Japan - the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] - and the first organized in service to the nation-state in the modern sense of the term. Men of all classes were conscripted into service for a period of three years.

The chief figures involved in pushing for the institution of conscription included [[Omura Masujiro|Ômura Masujirô]] and [[Yamada Kengi]] of [[Choshu han|Chôshû]], and [[Tani Kanjo|Tani Kanjô]] of [[Tosa han|Tosa]]. They saw conscription not only as a means by which to strengthen the country's defenses against outside attack, but also as a means of strengthening it against uprisings against [[Meiji government|the new government]]. A centralized military would also help guard against regional governors gathering power and becoming regional warlords.

The chief figures involved in pushing for the institution of conscription included [[Omura Masujiro|Ômura Masujirô]] (who suggested it as early as [[1868]]), as well as [[Yamada Kengi]] of [[Choshu han|Chôshû]],[[Tani Kanjo|Tani Kanjô]] of [[Tosa han|Tosa]], and [[Yamagata Aritomo]]. They saw conscription not only as a means by which to strengthen the country's defenses against outside attack, especially from the Russians, but also as a means of strengthening it against uprisings against [[Meiji government|the new government]]. A centralized military would also help guard against regional governors gathering power and becoming regional warlords.

[[E.H. Norman]] argues that these men were well aware of elements within the Meiji government, and new-formed military, who still believed strongly in samurai ideals, who believed that commoner/peasant troops could not be as loyal and dutiful nor as skilled in combat as the samurai, people who might lead pro-feudal revolts against the new government in order to restore samurai rule if they were rubbed the wrong way. They were to be proven right, as the 1870s saw numerous [[shizoku rebellions|samurai uprisings]] of this sort, particularly in [[Kyushu]], culminating with the [[Satsuma Rebellion]] in [[1877]].

[[E.H. Norman]] argues that these men were well aware of elements within the Meiji government, and new-formed military, who still believed strongly in samurai ideals, who believed that commoner/peasant troops could not be as loyal and dutiful nor as skilled in combat as the samurai, people who might lead pro-feudal revolts against the new government in order to restore samurai rule if they were rubbed the wrong way. They were to be proven right, as the 1870s saw numerous [[shizoku rebellions|samurai uprisings]] of this sort, particularly in [[Kyushu]], culminating with the [[Satsuma Rebellion]] in [[1877]].