Nakagawa Kenzō (中川健藏, 16 July 1875 – 26 June 1944) was a Japanese bureaucrat and political figure. After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University in 1902, he passed the civil service examination and was posted to the

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

regional administration. Over the next few years he rotated through positions in the

Cabinet Legislation Bureau The is a Japanese government agency which advises Cabinet members on drafting legislation to be proposed to the Diet. It acts as legal counsel for the Cabinet by examining bills, orders, and treaties. It also presents opinions on legal matters ...

, government survivors' benefits bureau, development bureau and postal ministry. He became a director of the South Manchuria Railway in 1919. From 1923 to 1929 he served in regional leadership roles as the governor of

Kagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kagawa Prefecture has a population of 949,358 (as of 2020) and is the smallest prefecture by geographic area at . Kagawa Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the southwest and Tok ...

(1923–1924), governor

Kumamoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture to ...

(1924–1925), Director of the

Agency (1925–1927) and governor of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

(July–October 1929). In 1930 he was appointed as vice-minister of education in the cabinet of Prime Minister Hamaguchi Osachi. He served as the 16th Governor-General of Taiwan from 1932 to 1936 and presided over the Taiwanese exposition (台湾博覧会) of 1935. Nakagawa implemented limited self-rule in Taiwan by allowing Taiwanese and Japanese residents to vote for half of the membership of local assemblies, although these assemblies were still subject to extensive control by the governor-general. In 1936, Nakagawa returned to Japan as a member of the House of Peers. In 1939 he was appointed president of Imperial Japanese Airways, the state-run airline of the Japanese Empire. He remained a member of the House of Peers and the head of the airline until his death in 1944.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakagawa, Kenzo 1875 births 1944 deaths People from Niigata Prefecture Governors of Kagawa Prefecture Governors of Kumamoto Prefecture Directors of the Hokkaido Agency Governors of Tokyo Governors-General of Taiwan