Japan began to attach importance to women's education during the era of the Meiji government. Although they were influenced by the international civil rights and feminist movement, women's universities in Japan developed with solid domestic and cultural factors as guiding principles, emphasizing the roles of wives and mothers. After the 1980s, higher education in Japan began to correct this gender bias, reducing the number of segregated high schools. After 2000, the number of women's universities also decreased. The development of women's universities in Japan aimed to improve women's power and leadership, but the far-reaching social significance of female domestic roles should also be taken into account.