In 1916, he accompanied the Emperor Taisho as the Minister of the Interior's Office and on the way back from watching the army's special large-scaled maneuver conducted in Fukuoka Prefecture, he fell ill due to stomach disorder and simultaneously cholecystitis occurred.
大正5年（1916年）、内大臣府として大正天皇に供奉し福岡県で行われた陸軍特別大演習を参観した帰途に胃病から倒れ、胆嚢炎を併発。