Following the murder of
Charles Lennox Richardson in September 1862, Neale exercised great caution in his response to the Japanese authorities, earning the furious opprobrium of the Western community in Yokohama, who called for immediate retribution. He was eventually vindicated by the British Government and appointed CB in 1863 for his coolness. In March 1863, the Emperor of Japan issued the
Order to expel barbarians, which led Neale to issue an ultimatum to the Japanese government, which was on the brink of starting a war with foreign powers in order to return to the
isolation policy. Neale was extremely vocal when the
Bakufu, under pressure from the Emperor, was finally forced to issue a declaration promulgating the end of relations with foreigners. The order was forwarded to foreign legations by Ogasawara Zusho no Kami on 24 June 1863. Lieutenant-Colonel Neale, responded in very strong terms, equating the move with a declaration of war: A few days later, on 2 July 1863, Colonel Neale led the negotiations for the reparations following the 1862
Namamugi incident, in which foreigners were attacked and one killed by a party from
Satsuma, The failure of Satsuma to apologize and pay for reparations led to the
Bombardment of Kagoshima by the
Royal Navy in August 1863, in which Neale participated on board the flagship
Euralyus. ==Modern appraisal==