In 1889, he served as acting Prime Minister (while serving as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal) for two months after Kiyotaka KURODA resigned as prime minister.
明治22年（1889年）には、黒田清隆総理の単独辞任をうけて内閣総理大臣を二ヵ月間代行（内大臣兼任）した。