Nicholas is rushed back to Kyoto, where Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa orders that he be taken into the Kyoto Imperial Palace to rest, and messages are sent to Tokyo.

Fearful that the incident will be used by Russia as a pretext for war, and knowing that Japan's military is no match for Russia's at this time, Prime Minister Matsukata Masayoshi advises Emperor Meiji to go immediately to visit the Tsesarevich.

The Emperor boards a train at Shimbashi Station, and travels through the night so as to reach Kyoto the following morning.

The following day, when Nicholas expresses a desire to return to the Russian fleet at Kobe, Emperor Meiji orders Prince Kitashirakawa and Prince Arisugawa Takehito to accompany him.

Later, Emperor Meiji, ignoring protests from some senior statesman that he might be taken hostage, pays a personal visit to the Tsesarevich, who i recuperating on a Russian warship in Kobe harbor.