After Kiyotaka KURODA resigned from the Chief of the Hokkaido Development Commission on January 11, 1882, he was appointed as the successor while serving as the Sangi and the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce.
明治15年（1882年）1月11日、黒田清隆が開拓長官を辞すると、参議・農商務卿兼務のまま開拓長官に任じられる。