Hirobumi ITO decided to step down from his position as Prime Minister and assume office as the first Chairman of the Privy Council in order to focus on the establishment of the Constitution of the Empire of Japan, and nominated Kiyotaka KURODA who was one of the important figures of the domain and who had already been in the cabinet as Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, as his successor.
伊藤博文は大日本帝国憲法の制定に専念するため総理を辞して初代枢密院議長に転じることになり、後任には藩閥の中心的存在のひとりで農商務大臣として閣内にあった黒田清隆を推奏した。