Abstract: This paper adopts literature method to analyze the role of school sports in Japan’s turning process from a weak and feudal country to a capitalist power in the Meiji period, believing that school sports constitutes a vital part in Japan’s modern education in the Meiji period and it is an important means to pre-military education. Besides, it also improved its national physique on the whole. School sports can be described as an important measure to enrich the country and increase its military force, which plays a significant role in turning the country into a world power.

Key words: school sports, Meiji, Japan, modern sports, make the country rich and its military force efficient