 On 21 March 1898, "Sōkō" was de-rated to a second-class gunboat, and was used for surveys of the Kurile Islands in Japan's northern waters.On 22 May 1903, "Sōkō" ran aground in Muroran harbor, but was refloated on 9 July.On 26 October, the vessel was transferred from the Imperial Japanese Navy to the control of the Japanese Home Ministry, and was used as a guard boat in Kobe.