c. The Law for Subsidizing Vocational Education Expenses from the National Treasury

The law which had the most epoch-making impact on the development of vocational education in Japan and the greatest impact on the future development of industry was undoubtedly the Law for Subsidizing Vocational Education Expenses from the National Treasury, which was promulgated on June 12, 1894, and put in force on September 1 of that year. In order to realize the renovation of industrial education proposed by Education Minister Inoue Kowashi, it vws necessary to advance and spread local vocational education with a subsidy from the National Treasury. Despite numerous difficulfies, he made efforts to see that his proposal became law. Thus a bill was submitted to the Imperial Diet in late 1893, but it did not pass as a result of the House of Representatives of the Imperial Diet being dissolved. In May, 1894, it was again submitted to the Imperial Diet, and there it received approval being enacted as the Law for Subsidizing Vocational Education Expenses from the National Treasury.

Although the amount of subsidy was but 150,000 yen per year, it had a great impact on the advancement of vocational education. With this policy of encouragement vocational education rapidly expanded, and the promulgation of the Vocational School Order on February 7, 1899, was the first step toward integrating the many new vocational schools.