Eiichi Nishimura

Eiichi Nishimura (西村 英一, Nishimura Eiichi, 28 August 1897 – 15 September 1987) was a Japanese politician, who served in the Ikeda, Satō, Tanaka and Fukuda cabinets, and was the first to be appointed to the post of Director of the National Land Agency.[1] 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.[2]

Eiichi Nishimura
西村 英一
Director of the Administrative Management Agency
In office 24 December 1976 – 1 February 1979
Preceded by	Seijuro Arafune
Succeeded by	Motohiko Kanai
Director of the National Land Agency
In office 26 June 1974 – 11 November 1974
Prime Minister	Kakuei Tanaka
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Hyosuke Niwa
Minister of State
In office 24 June 1974 – 25 June 1974
Prime Minister	Kakuei Tanaka
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Minister of Construction
In office 5 July 1971 – 7 July 1972
Prime Minister	Eisaku Satō
Preceded by	Nemoto Ryutaro
Succeeded by	Takeo Kimura
In office 3 December 1966 – 25 November 1967
Preceded by	Tomisaburo Hashimoto
Succeeded by	Shigeru Hori
Minister of Health
In office 18 July 1962 – 18 July 1963
Prime Minister	Hayato Ikeda
Preceded by	Hirokichi Nadao
Succeeded by	Takeji Kobayashi
Personal details
Born	August 28, 1897 Higashikunisaki District, Ōita, Japan
Died	September 15, 1987 (aged 90)
Alma mater	Tohoku Imperial University

Early life

Nishimura was born on 28 August 1897, in Higashikunisaki District, Ōita.[2] He graduated from Tohoku Imperial University in 1924.[2]

Career

Nishimura's first venture into public office was via the Ministry of Railways, and in the immediate postwar period he was director of the Electric Bureau of the Railway Department of the Ministry of Transport.[2] In 1949, Nishimura won election to the House of Representatives of Japan.[2]

In 1962, Nishimura landed his first cabinet position in the cabinet of Hayato Ikeda, serving as Minister of Health.[1][3] He then went on to serve under Eisaku Satō, as Construction Minister, on two separate occasions.[1][4][5][6]

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, 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.[1][2][7][8][9]

Nishimura retired from politics in 1983.[2] He passed away on 15 September 1987.[2]

Honours

• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (1968)[2]
• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (1973)[2]

References

1. "西村英一". Kotobank. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
2. "西村 英一". Kotobank. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
3. "第２次池田内閣 第２次改造内閣". Kantei. Cabinet Secretariat of Japan. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
4. "第１次佐藤内閣 第３次改造内閣". Kantei. Cabinet Secretariat of Japan. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
5. "第６２代 第２次佐藤内閣". Kantei. Cabinet Secretariat of Japan. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
6. "第３次佐藤内閣 改造内閣". Kantei. Cabinet Secretariat of Japan. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
7. "第２次田中(角)内閣 第１次改造内閣". Kantei. Cabinet Secretariat of Japan. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
8. "第６７代 福田内閣". Kantei. Cabinet Secretariat of Japan. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
9. "自由民主党歴代執行部". 戦後政治史ふぁん倶楽部, Archived version. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2018.

External links

• Historic Japanese cabinets (in Japanese), kantei.go.jp; accessed 31 January 2018.
• Historic LDP Presidents, Secretaries General, Chairs of General Affairs Committee and of Policy Research Committee (in Japanese), geocities.co.jp/WallStreet-Stock/7643/; accessed 31 January 2018