Also, the restoration government dispatched the "Iwakura Mission," of which Tomomi IWAKURA was the chief envoy, and Toshimichi OKUBO, Takayoshi KIDO, and Hirobumi ITO were the vice envoys, to Europe and the United States, whereas the members of the "Rusu-Seifu" (the temporary government while heads of the government were away) like Takamori SAIGO, Kaoru INOUE, Shigenobu OKUMA, Taisuke ITAGAKI, Shinpei ETO, Takato OKI, advanced many reforms one after another.
また、維新政府は西洋の諸制度を研究するため岩倉具視を正使、大久保利通・木戸孝允・伊藤博文らを副使とする岩倉使節団を欧米へ派遣するが、「留守政府」と呼ばれた日本残留組の西郷隆盛・井上馨・大隈重信・板垣退助・江藤新平・大木喬任らの手によって、次々と改革は進んでいった。