Promoted by the Meiji Emperor to minister of finance in 1870, he put his world view with its admiration of the West into practice, laying the foundation for the country's capitalist economy and modernization during a time known to Japanese historians as the Okuma administration.
一八七○年，大隈重信升任明治天皇手下的大藏大臣，以他的世界觀及師法歐美的雄心，為日本日後的經濟現代化及資本主義奠定良好基礎，這段時間，日本歷史上稱為「大隈財政」。