Inouye, Kaoru

Inouye, Kaoru

(kou`ro͞o ĭin`əwā', ĭnō`wā), 1835–1915, Japanese statesman. He was a leader of the antiforeign movement in his native Choshu fief, and helped set fire to the British legation in Edo (now Tokyo) in 1862. He changed his views after study in England (1863) with Hirobumi Ito, and returned to urge Westernization and overthrow of the shogunate. After the Meiji restorationMeiji restoration,
The term refers to both the events of 1868 that led to the "restoration" of power to the emperor and the entire period of revolutionary changes that coincided with the Meiji emperor's reign (1868–1912).
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 he was influential in reorganizing government finances on modern lines, especially in the reform of the land tax system. As foreign minister (1885–87), his failure to negotiate a revision of the unequal treaties and his unpopular Westernizing influence forced him to resign. Later he served as home minister and as finance minister under Ito.