The "Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors" and Nishi Amane

From the Meiji Era until World War II, the "Imperial Rescript on Education" had a great influence not only on Japan's education, but also on Japan's social life at large. The "Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors," promulgated nine years earlier in 1882, had also been established in the same spirit and ethics as those of the "Imperial Rescript on Education," although their contents were different and the former was specifically intended for the military personnel. When the "Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors" was issued, the Imperial Japanese Army was still in the early stage of development. It was the urgent matter for the top officials of the military to exert strict control over soldiers who had not been well-disciplined, and to ban the political involvement of military personnel, countermining the demand for the democratic rights and the rise of anti-government movements. It was against these backgrounds that the Rescript was enacted. We should note that the promulgation of the "Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors" was preceded by two political documents: "Heika-Tokko" (Virtuous Conducts of Soldiers) and "Gunjin-Kunkai" (Admonition to the Military). The main concern of these documents was how efficiently the government could exercise control over military personnel. The government thought that the best way to train them would be to give a good education, teach virtues, and exert strict discipline. Nishi Amane played an important role in the process of making the draft of these documents. Therefore, it is important to examine "Heika-Tokko" and "Gunjin-Kunkai" along with the "Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors" in order to understand the undercurrent of Nishi Amene's thought and to know the backgrounds of the "Imperial Rescript on Education.