 In each of these positions, he played an important role under the economic plan of then prime minister Hayato Ikeda, which greatly helped Japan's postwar economy.In 1964, Ōkita became the president of the Japan Center for Economic Research, and later served as its chairman from 1973 to 1979.From 1979 to 1980 he served as the Foreign Minister, and continued to be one of Japan's foremost academic spokesmen.