The rapid development of modern Japanese sociology was prepared by Edo period Confucian scholars, Kokugaku scholars, and Dutch studies scholars. While these individuals’ works undoubtedly contained the seeds of sociology, what was more significant was that sociological analysis became absolutely essential during the tumultuous period from the end of the Edo shogunate through the Meiji Restoration. There were expectations that sociology could answer serious questions about how to calm the chaos following the collapse of the old system and what measures needed to be taken to establish a new order. Looking back at history, Japan established a new government in 1868, replacing the Edo shogunate—the Meiji Restoration. As a result of this major political transformation, reorganizing the national system became an urgent task. To reconstruct politics for establishing a modern nation-state, they needed to study the political systems of Britain, France, and Germany. These were based on academic fields such as political science, state science, and sociology. Western sociological thinkers like Britain’s Herbert Spencer (1820–1903), Germany’s Lorenz von Stein (1815–1890), and Austria’s Ludwig Gumplowicz (1838–1909) were sociologists imported during this trend. Among them, Spencer was the first to capture Japanese interest. The introduction of Spencer’s sociology appeared by at least the 1870s. Spencer’s first work was Social Statics (1851). In Japan, Yukio Ozaki (1858–1954) published it as Kenri Teiko in 1877, and Go Matsushima (1854–1940) published it as Shakai Kenron in 1881. Both books created a huge response. Furthermore, lecture notes and writings based on Spencer continued to be published in succession: It could be said that the Japanese people’s desire for liberal thought and social reform created an extraordinary Spencer boom.