Yamagata selectively let military personnel from the former Choshu domain take important positions; this behavior was called Chobatsu (the Chochu clique), and a considerable part of the population did not like what he did.
山縣の元長州藩出身の軍人ばかりを要職に就かせる手法は長閥と呼ばれ、嫌う者も非常に多かった。