 Inoue was a supporter of Saigō Takamori and his "Seikanron" position vis-a-vis Korea.At the time of the Ganghwa Island incident (1875), Inoue was captain of the gunboat and played a key role in the events which led to the opening of Korea to foreign trade and diplomatic relations.Inoue then was assigned to the new corvette of which he was the chief equipping officer in charge of overseeing her construction.