Men are drafted independent of the Con scription Law as follows: (1) First-class pri vates of gendarmerie are obtained from among soldiers of other branches of the army by their application. (2) Bandsmen are obtained from graduates from the Military Bandsmen's School.
Military Education.— Military education in Japan is given in the following schools: (1) Military Staff College; three years' course, ad mits about 60 students a year. (2) Mihtary College of Artillery and Engineering; three years course, admits 120 students a year. (3) Military College; 18 months' course, admits 450 students a year. This is a cadets' school. (4) Military Toyama School; soldiers are taught tactics, shooting, fencing and gymnastics in a two to seven months' course; number of students varies from year to year. (5) Central Military Preparatory School; twoyears' course, admits 300 students a year. (6) Local Military Preparatory Schools; exist in Sendai, Nagoya, Hiroshima and Kumamoto; three years course, admits 50 students a year. (7) Military Cavalry Practice School; 11 months' course to be given to cavalrymen; number of students varies. (8) Military Field Artillery Practice School; two and three months' course, number of students varies. (9) Military Siege Artil lery Practice School; course two months to one year. (10) Telegraph Educational Bat talion; courses, one year and 18 months. (11) Military Comptrollers' School; accountant cadets and accountant officers are taught here; the course for the former is one year nine months, and that for the latter one year. (12) Military Surgeons' School; course for officers covers four months at the most and that for cadets one year. (13) Military Veterinary School; course three to nine months. (14) Military Artillery and Engineering School; trains non-commissioned officers; courses, one and two years. (15) Infantry Practice School; teaches infantry tactics for, mainly, infantry officers. The admission number of students and course in above mentioned schools would be varied from time to time.
Conrt-Martial.---In 1871, when the military stations were established and regular troops enlisted for the first time in Japan, a naval and military criminal code was enacted. In the following year the War Office was established and a military law court came into existence. The present military penal code was promul gated in 1883 and amended in In the Japanese military law court or court martial the provisions not only of the military penal code, but of the ordinary criminal law and other penal regulations are applied.
There exists two sorts of courts-martial; one is the Higher Court-martial and the other is the Division Court-martial, the latter exist ing in each division. The Higher Court-martial exists in Tokio and delivers judgment in offenses committed by generals, and conducts the re-examination of cases examined by the Division Court-martial. Trial by courts-martial is not open to the public. Neither debate nor prosecution is allowed. Counsel and appeal are prohibited.
Military justice is conducted by procurators, secretaries and judges, and presided over by the Minister of War in the case of the Higher Court-martial, and by the commander of divi sion in the case of Division Court-martial. Secretaries are civil officials and execute duties resembling those of preliminary judge in the ordinary law courts. Judgment is given by five judges, all of whom are military Sec retaries may participate in trial but have no voice in making decision. Procurators are also outside the court-martial, strictly speaking. Judgment becomes valid by sanction by the commander of division or of the emperor, ac cording to the official status of the offender.
Besides those above mentioned, courts martial are established in Formosa and in field armies and forts in time of war. They are similarly constituted on the whole as the Divi sion Court-martial. With the progress of the military organization and general litigation sys tem in Japan, the courts-martial will be gradu ally improved.
Military The organization of military prisons was enacted in 1876 for the first time. It was amended several times, the latest amendment taking place in 1894. Military prisons exist in those places where exists a court-martial, and are governed by the officers who preside over the court-martial. The staff of a military prison consists of a director, clerks, chief jailor and jailors. In military prisons are imprisoned small offenders who are in active service or military officials still re taining their official positions, and defendants in criminal cases. The prison building is di vided into three sections, rooms for defendants, cells for convicts and detention houses. The military prison is so conducted as to execute penalties in a most appropriate way against military offenders, that is, with a view to the maintenance of the military spirit and discipline.