was a

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese business leader and politician. He served in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

of Japan and was the Minister of Justice from 1998 to 1999.

Early life and career

Shozaburo Nakamura was born in 1934. He was a business leader. He served in the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the Japanese Diet. He also held the positions of state minister for the environment agency and parliamentary vice-minister for finance. Nakamura was appointed Justice Minister in the cabinet led by

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Keizo Obuchi on 30 July 1998. Nakamura replaced Kokichi Shimoinaba as Justice Minister. Nakamura's term ended on 8 March 1999 when he resigned from office over the controversy sparked when

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

was allowed to enter Japan without a passport in October 1998. Takao Jinnouchi became Justice Minister on 8 March 1999, replacing Nakamura in the post.

Personal life and death

Nakamura was among the richest members of the lower house and was ranked fourth with assets worth about 1.5 billion yen in 2000. Shozaburo Nakamura died on 1 September 2023, at the age of 89.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakamura, Shozaburo 1934 births 2023 deaths 20th-century Japanese politicians Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians Ministers of justice of Japan Keio University alumni Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2003–2005