The Development of an Educational System at the Beginning of the Meiji Era: Reference Models from Western Countries

In keeping with earlier initiatives launched during the bakumatsu (1853-68), several institutions were founded in Japan at the beginning of the Meiji era with the aim of bringing the Country's national educational system into line with contemporary Western standards. Using the technical education sector as a case study, in this paper I intend to review the systems in place in Western countries, particularly Europe, at that time and compare them with the new Japanese institutions that were set up in the 1870s in quick succession.