After his release in 1872, Ōtori agreed to work in the Meiji government, first becoming involved in land reclamation, and later becoming president of the Gakushūin Peers' School in 1886. In 1889, Ōtori was sent as an ambassador to China's Qing dynasty and Korea's Joseon dynasty. He also had an instrumental role in the opening of the First Sino-Japanese War.