Mutsu was against 'treaty enforcement movement' of the hard-line foreign policies faction centering on the hard-line six parties and others and worked to dissolve the extraterritoriality with the United Kingdom, aiming at incremental revision of treaties.
陸奥は硬六派などを中心とした対外硬派の「条約励行運動」に反対して、漸進的な条約改正を目指して、まずイギリスとの間で治外法権の解消に努めた。