Although severely injured by shrapnel through his left thigh during the fighting, he was extremely impressed with the firepower of the Royal Navy and the amount of material damage that only a few vessels were able to inflict on Kagoshima.

At the time of the Ganghwa Island incident (1875), Inoue was captain of the gunboat Un'yo and played a key role in the events which led to the opening of Korea to foreign trade and diplomatic relations.

Seiki passed through the Suez Canal, and made a port call at Constantinople, where Inoue was received in an audience by the Ottoman Sultan, and eventually reached London.

On his return to Japan, Inoue captained a wide selection of ships in the Japanese navy, including the Azuma, Asama, Fusō and Kongō.

After the Russo-Japanese War, Inoue was elevated to shishaku (viscount) on 21 September 1907, and to the largely ceremonial rank of Marshal Admiral on his retirement on 31 October 1911.