 Kinmochi lived through the Meiji Restoration, becoming one of the "genrō", or elder statesmen who were a part of the original Meiji government at its beginning.He subsequently held a number of Cabinet posts, becoming Prime Minister of Japan in 1906.As members of the "kazoku" (Western-style system of peerage), the Saionji maintained a considerable degree of prestige, and continued to be close to the world of politics, through the end of World War II, when the "kazoku" were dissolved.