In 1873, when the government divided over the Seikan-ron, the debate over whether to send troops to Korea or not, he was torn between the people who supported it, like Takamori SAIGO, and those who opposed to it, like Tomomi IWAKURA and Toshimichi OKUBO, finally choosing Iwakura as his representative.
明治6年（1873年）の征韓論をめぐる政府内での対立では、西郷隆盛らの征韓派と、岩倉具視や大久保利通らの征韓反対派の板ばさみになり、岩倉を代理とする。