Iwakura Mission

E10243

The Iwakura Mission was a landmark 1871–1873 Japanese diplomatic and fact-finding tour of the United States and Europe that aimed to renegotiate unequal treaties and study Western institutions to guide Japan’s modernization.


Statements (62)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Japanese diplomatic mission
fact-finding mission
aimedAt revision of unequal treaties with Western powers
countryOfOrigin Japan
departureCountry Japan
departureLocation Yokohama
departureTime 1871-12
documentedIn Tokumei Zenken Taishi Bei-O Kairan Jikki
endTime 1873
era Meiji period
hasPurpose guiding Japan’s modernization
renegotiation of unequal treaties
study of Western institutions
includes about 50 students
influenced Japanese diplomacy in the late 19th century
Meiji Constitution
industrial policy of Meiji Japan
modern Japanese education system
leader Iwakura Tomomi
longTermOutcome provided extensive data for domestic reforms in Japan
namedAfter Iwakura Tomomi
numberOfMembers about 50
participant Itō Hirobumi
Iwakura Tomomi
Kido Takayoshi
Kume Kunitake
Mori Arinori
Nishi Amane
Tanaka Fujimaro
Tsuda Mamichi
Yamagata Aritomo
Yamaguchi Naoyoshi
Yokoi Shōnan
other Meiji officials
Ōkubo Toshimichi
politicalContext early Meiji Restoration
primaryChronicler Kume Kunitake
significance helped shape Japan’s adoption of Western institutions
major turning point in Japan’s modernization
startTime 1871
studiedField education systems
finance and taxation
industrial technology
legal systems
military organization
political systems
treatyRevisionOutcome failed to achieve immediate treaty revision
visitedContinent Europe
North America
visitedCountry Austria-Hungary
Belgium
Denmark
France
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
Prussia
Russia
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States


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