Masa Nakayama
Japanese politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Masa Nakayama (中山 マサ, Nakayama Masa; January 19, 1891 – October 11, 1976) was a Japanese politician and educator who was the first woman appointed to the Cabinet of Japan when she became Minister of Health and Welfare in 1960.[1]
Masa Nakayama | |
|---|---|
中山 マサ | |
Nakayama in 1952 | |
| Minister of Health and Welfare | |
| In office 19 July 1960 – 8 December 1960 | |
| Prime Minister | Hayato Ikeda |
| Preceded by | Yoshio Watanabe |
| Succeeded by | Kimi Furui |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 30 January 1967 – 2 December 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Tomizō Oshitani |
| Succeeded by | Masaaki Nakayama |
| Constituency | Osaka 2nd |
| In office 26 April 1947 – 23 October 1963 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Tomizō Oshitani |
| Constituency | Osaka 2nd |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Masa Iida-Powers 19 January 1891 |
| Died | 11 October 1976 (aged 85) Osaka, Japan |
| Party | Liberal Democratic |
Other political affiliations | DP (1947) Dōshi Club (1947–1948) DLP (1948–1950) LP (1950–1955) |
| Spouse | Fukuzō Nakayama |
| Children | Taro Nakayama Masaaki Nakayama |
| Relatives | Yasuhide Nakayama (grandson) |
| Alma mater | Kwassui Women's University Ohio Wesleyan University |
Early life and education
Nakayama was born Masa Iida-Powers in Nagasaki, the daughter of Rodney H. Powers, an American businessman who had settled in Nagasaki in the 1860s, and his Japanese partner, Naka Iida. Masa attended Kwassui Jogakko, a mission school run by American Methodist missionaries. In 1911, she moved to the United States where she enrolled at Ohio Wesleyan University,[2] graduating in 1916. Returning to Japan, she had a distinguished career as a high school and college educator prior to the outbreak of World War II.[3] In 1923, Nakayama married Fukuzō Nakayama, a lawyer and politician who served in the lower house from 1932 to 1942, and later in the upper house after World War II.[4]
Political career
In 1947, she was elected as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet, representing the second district of Osaka Prefecture.[4] In 1960, she became the first woman appointed to the Cabinet of Japan when she was appointed Minister of Health and Welfare by Prime Minister Hayato Ikeda.[1] She served as a minister for five months, stepping down in December 1960.
Later life and death
Family and descendants
Nakayama and her husband had two sons who also went into national politics: Representative Taro Nakayama and Representative Masaaki Nakayama. Representative Yasuhide Nakayama is her grandson and Masaaki's son.