The 1884 French Military Mission to Japan was the third French military mission to that country and consisted of 5 men.

It followed two earlier missions, the first French Military Mission to Japan (1867-1868), and the second French Military Mission to Japan (1872-1880)

French Military Mission to Japan (1872-1880)

The 1872–1880 French Military Mission to Japan was the second French military mission to that country. It followed the first French Military Mission to Japan , which had ended with the Boshin War and the establishment of the rule of Emperor Meiji....

, which had a considerable role in shaping the new Imperial Japanese Army

Imperial Japanese Army

-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...

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From 1886 to 1889, Japan somewhat shifted to Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 as a military example, and invited two German officers (particularly Jakob Meckel

Jakob Meckel

Klemens Wilhelm Jacob Meckel was a general in the Prussian army and foreign advisor to the government of Meiji period Japan.-Biography:...

) in parallel to the French Mission, who were put in charge of reforming the Japanese General Staff.

France would gain considerable influence with the Imperial Japanese Navy

Imperial Japanese Navy

The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...

 instead, with the dispatch of the engineer Louis-Émile Bertin

Louis-Émile Bertin

Louis-Émile Bertin was a French naval engineer, one of the foremost of his time, and a proponent of the "Jeune École" philosophy of using light, but powerfully armed warships instead of large battleships.-Early life:...

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