In the Meiji period, 1 ri was fixed to be equal to 36 cho and other kinds of ri were banned by The Weights and Measures Act which was established in 1891 after joining the treaty of the meter.
明治時代に入り、メートル条約加入後の明治24年(1891年）に制定した度量衡法では、1里＝36町とし、それ以外の里の使用を禁止した。