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Satsuma Rebellion of 1877 - Aftermath

The suppression of the rebels involved much time and a great array of forces. The number of soldiers who fought for the government was above 66,000, and the line of battle extended over 20 or 30 ri. More than 200 days had passed before the rebels were completely subdued by the defeat at Shiroyama. The law of requisition at the time left a great deal to be desired. Moreover, as the scene of action lay in mountainous districts the roads were so bad that resort could not be had to ships and wagons. Commissariat and transportation, therefore, had to be left in the hands of coolies, whose pay amounted to no small sum. Increase of police force in the provinces, punishment of rebels, postbellum relief of the distressed, and the reward afforded to the soldiers engaged in the campaign necessitated an enormous outlay from the Treasury.

To cover the expenses of the Satsuma Rebellion, the government contracted a loan from the Fifteenth National Bank by a written agreement made by the National Loan Bureau of the Finance Department. The loan extended over a term of twenty years; and 15,000,000 yen out of the bank notes, which the same bank issued with the government's permission, was to be appropriated for this purpose. The interest was fixed at 5 per cent per annum. The Fifteenth National Bank had been established by a number of peers with a capital of 17,826,000 yen, which consisted of public bonds. The bank had received the delivery of the bank notes which it issued on the security of the deposited public bonds. It had not been easy for the bank to make use of this prodigious amount of bank notes. This government loan on account of the Satsuma Rebellion, therefore, just suited the needs of the Fifteenth National Bank.

The Satsuma War was an epoch-making event in the history of the Empire. Japan was now compelled to turn over a new leaf, by disengaging herself from her insular traditions. Changes were made in the conscription law in order to adapt it to the new circumstances. Changes were again made in the law in 1889, when the constitution was promulgated. Since then it has remained practically unchanged. This period witnessed more changes in the law than any other.

Comparative peace reigned in Japan from the Satsuma Rebellion to the year 1893, though a few soldiers were sent to Korea in 1882 and again in 1884; and during this epoch of quiet, progress was made in the development of the army and navy. At first, that is, prior to 1884 or 1885, the progress was very slow, but from then on it was gradually accelerated. In other words, in the first half of the epoch the preparation for the development of the national defense was made, and in the second half the development was actually effected. This was due to the fact that the financial and economic status of primitive Japan was seriously shaken by the war of the Satsuma Rebellion, and the country was consequently compelled to pass through a sort of preparatory stage, though the completion of the national defense was very urgent.

The benefits resulting from the dangerous crisis through which the nation had safely passed far outweighed the sacrifice in lives and treasure. Nor is it easy to see how they could have been gained in any other way. The suppression of the rebellion was more than a mere victory for the Government. It meant the triumph of a progressive policy over the mediaevalism of old Japan. The reactionary and disturbing elements in the country had been taught that the new order of things must be accepted. The new conscript army had dispelled all doubts of its efficiency and had demonstrated, to the surprise of everybody, that the fighting spirit was not the inheritance solely of the former military class, but that an army recruited from all classes of the people was an institution on which the State could safely depend.

The liberal policy, quite opposed to the traditions and the spirit of that day, adopted by the Imperialists at the close of the war of the Restoration was again followed after the Satsuma rebellion. No stigma, when hostilities had ceased, attached to the men who had fought for the clan. The temple dedicated shortly afterwards to those who had fallen in the conflict was erected to the common memory of all, both loyalists and rebels.