Ōyama Iwao
In 1882, Miura was appointed commander of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy. In 1884, he accompanied Ōyama Iwao on a tour of Europe, to study the military systems in various western countries, and favoured an army organisation modelled after the French, and on his return became commander of the Tokyo Garrison. However, Miura come into increasing conflict with the Army leadership under General Yamagata Aritomo over conscription policies, the need for a large standing army, and the government's fire-safe of the assets of the Hokkaidō Colonization Office, as well as Aritomo's favouritism for an army modelled after that of Prussia. Yamagata and Prince Arisugawa blocked a move by Emperor Meiji to appoint Miura as Chief of staff of the Ministry of the Army in 1886, and he was transferred from Tokyo to the Kumamoto Garrison. Miura resigned rather than accept the demotion, but remained an outspoken critic of Yamagata and the direction he was taking the Imperial Japanese Army. He became a leading member of the "Getsuyōkai", an army fraternal association which had been established by the largely-French trained first graduating classes of the Army Academy. While the "Getsuyōkai"'s main purpose was to encourage research into the latest military developments, under Miura the association's journal, "Getsuyōkai kiji", published scathing critics of Yamataga and other army leaders, and promoted the concept of a small, defensive army. Stung by the unceasing criticism, Yamagata ordered Miura into the secondary reserves and ordered the "Getsuyōkai" disbanded in 1889.