After Meiji Restoration, Goto held important positions of the government, but he had a low profile and was underestimated compared to other statesmen who had contributed to Meiji Restoration because having left the government to join the Freedom and People's Rights Movement and entered business world made his political attitude look inconsistent, and the existence of the hero 'Ryoma SAKAMOTO' was so prominent that he was little known at the time.
維新後は政府の要職を歴任したほか、自由民権運動や実業界への転身に見られるように活動に一貫性がなく、また「坂本龍馬」という英雄の影に隠れてしまっている事もあって、維新の元勲の中では知名度も低く評価も高くはない。