In 1865, as part of a French effort to support the construction of a Japanese Navy, he travelled to Japan, and spent the next decade there, based at Yokosuka.
[3] This work eventually resulted in a joint publication with his colleague Adrien René Franchet, entitled Enumeratio Plantenum in Japonia Sponte Crescentium, which was published in Paris in 1875 (vol.
[4][5] In his capacity as a medical officer, he was also responsible for a systematic study of venereal disease among the French sailors and prostitutes of the port.
[5][7] Many items collected or produced during this expedition are stored or displayed at the National Museum of Natural History, France in Paris.
Ludovic Savatier, as 'Médecin général de la Marine' (General Doctor of the Navy), was awarded the Legion of Honour ('Légion d'Honneur') by the French government in 1880.