Inoue Kaoru (井上 馨 Inoue Kaoru, January 16, 1836 - September 1, 1915;) was a Japanese statesman.

Born Yukichi (勇吉) to a poor samurai family in Hagi (now in Yamaguchi Prefecture), Inoue attended the Han school with his brother Ikutarō (幾太郎).

In 1858, he studied Dutch Learning, gunnery and swordsmanship in Edo.

See also

• Ito Hirobumi
• Ernest Satow