Captain
Étienne de Villaret (front row, center), of the Third French Military Mission to Japan, with his officer students of the Ichigaya Military Academy
The 1884 French Military Mission to Japan was the third French military mission to that country and consisted of five men.
From 1886 to 1889, Japan also invited two German officers (particularly
Jakob Meckel) in parallel to the French mission, who were influential in the Army General Staff reform.