After returning to Japan, Okabe made the short sound film Katyusha (leading actress:Sumako Matsui) using Edison's kinetoscope.
Okabe was appointed reserve second sublieutenant of the Imperial Japanese Navy and became the first mate on an English ship.
After recovering, he remained in the US and got a job at the Edison Institute in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
Okabe negotiated with Okura's support, but this attempt was a failure because Edison was busy developing synthetic rubber.
He established the steel industry in Kobe and made a fortune repairing ships for northern Europe.