The aim of this paper is to clarify the village-level statistical survey systems in mid-1880’s Japan. By examining ‘The Report on the Situation of Statistical Surveys in Local Governments by a Secretary of the Statistical Bureau’ the following two points are revealed: Firstly, in this period it was almost impossible to collect statistical data in their nationwide unified system; secondly, the chiefs of villages (kocho) were not only ill trained but also demoralized to carry out their duties. The chiefs thus could not collect statistical data accurately. These findings imply that the common people might not recognize the legitimacy of the rule of the Meiji Government until about first two decades after the Meiji Restoration.
