In 1886 he was promoted to Military General and successively held the position of Konoe divisional commander, in the General Staff Office, and he was appointed as Seisei Governor General and went to the front in Luchun in the Shino-Japanese War.
明治20年（1886年）陸軍大将に昇進し、近衛師団長、参謀本部を歴任、日清戦争では征清大総督に任じられ旅順に出征した。