He served in the Ministry of Finance during the Taishō and early Shōwa period, and was a senior official in the Empire of Manchukuo.

He rose through the ranks in various capacities, ranging from bank regulation to taxation, and in 1932, became chief of the state property section in the Ministry.

In December 1936 he was further promoted to director of the General Affairs Board (総務庁), the de facto senior civilian official in the country.

After the surrender of Japan, he was arrested by the American occupation authorities and tried before the International Military Tribunal of the Far East as a Class A war criminal on counts 1, 27, 29, 31, 32 together with other members of the Manchurian administration responsible for the Japanese policies there.

He published his memoirs in 1963, which created somewhat of a sensation for his undiminished admiration of Japanese accomplishments in Manchukuo, and his unexpected lack of respect for wartime leader Hideki Tojo.