c. Higher Schools as the Preparatory Course for the Imperial Universities

As related above, Minister of Education Inoue Kowashi wished to include both the specialized and preparatory courses in the higher school system. However, the specialized courses of the higher schools failed to show substantial development. The law and engineering faculties at the Third Higher School were abolished in April, 1901, and the medical faculties of the First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Higher Schools were also abolished and reestablished as independent government medical specialized schools at the same time. The engineering faculty of the Fifth Higher School set up in 1897 was abolished in April, 1906, after the Russo-Japanese War, and reestablished as the independent Kumamoto Higher Technical School. On the other hand, the university preparatory course developed rapidly, and a preparatory course was even added in 1897 to the Third Higher School, which originally had placed all its emphasis on specialized courses.

In August, 1900, regulations were issued providing that the university preparatory course in the higher schools was to be divided into three divisions from September of that year: one oriented to preparing for the law or literature college of an Imperial University, a second for preparation for engineering, science, science and engineering, or agriculture, and a third division for medicine.

In this way, from the end of the nineteenth century, the character of higher schools as preparatory educational organs leading to the Imperial Universities was strengthened.