was a Japanese politician, who served in the

Ikeda Ikeda may refer to: * Ikeda (surname), a Japanese surname * Ikeda (comics), a character in ''Usagi Yojimbo'' * Ikeda clan, a Japanese clan * Ikeda map, chaotic attractor * ''Ikeda'' (annelid) a genus of the family Ikedidae Places * Ikeda, Osaka i ...

Satō is the most common Japanese surname, often romanized as Sato, Satoh or Satou. A less common variant is . Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese actress and voice actress *, Japanese actress *, Japanese judoka *, Japanese writer * ...

, Tanaka and Fukuda cabinets, and was the first to be appointed to the post of Director of the

National Land Agency National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

. Within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), he held influence in the Satō and Tanaka factions, becoming known as the "king's counselor", or the one able to speak his mind with ease.

Early life

Nishimura was born on 28 August 1897, in

Higashikunisaki District, Ōita is a district located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan. As of April 2006, the district has an estimated population of 2,898. The total area is now down to 6.75 km2. There is only one village left in the district. * Himeshima Until March 30, 200 ...

. He graduated from

Tohoku Imperial University , or is a Japanese national university located in Sendai, Miyagi in the Tōhoku Region, Japan. It is informally referred to as . Established in 1907, it was the third Imperial University in Japan and among the first three Designated National ...

in 1924.

Career

Nishimura's first venture into public office was via the

Ministry of Railways A Ministry of Railways is a Cabinet department that exists or has existed in many Commonwealth states as well as others. It generally occurs in countries where railroad transportation is a particularly important part of the national infrastructur ...

, and in the immediate postwar period he was director of the Electric Bureau of the Railway Department of the

Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...

. In 1949, Nishimura won election to the

House of Representatives of Japan The is the lower house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors is the upper house. The composition of the House is established by and of the Constitution of Japan. The House of Representatives has 465 members, elected for a f ...

. In 1962, Nishimura landed his first cabinet position in the cabinet of

Hayato Ikeda was a Japanese bureaucrat and later politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1960 to 1964. He is best known for his Income Doubling Plan, which promised to double Japan's GDP in ten years. Ikeda is also known for repairing U.S.- ...

, serving as

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

. He then went on to serve under

Eisaku Satō was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1972. He is the third-longest serving Prime Minister, and ranks second in longest uninterrupted service as Prime Minister. Satō entered the National Diet in 1949 as a membe ...

, as Construction Minister, on two separate occasions. In the 1970s, while Nishimura continued to serve in various cabinet posts, including as the first Director of the National Land Agency under

Kakuei Tanaka was a Japanese politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1947 to 1990, and was Prime Minister of Japan from 1972 to 1974. After a power struggle with Takeo Fukuda, he became the most influential member of the ruling Liberal ...

, he also began to solidify his rise in the LDP, firstly as leader of the Tanaka faction within the party and then becoming vice president of the party as a whole by the end of the decade. Nishimura retired from politics in 1983. He died on 15 September 1987.

Honours

*Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (1968) *Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (1973)

References

External links

Historic Japanese cabinets (in Japanese)
kantei.go.jp; accessed 31 January 2018.

geocities.co.jp/WallStreet-Stock/7643/; accessed 31 January 2018 , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nishimura, Eiichi 20th-century Japanese politicians Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) Ministers of Health and Welfare of Japan Construction ministers of Japan Ministers of former Japanese ministries Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians Tohoku University alumni Kagoshima University alumni People from Ōita Prefecture 1897 births 1987 deaths