| Kuniwo Nakamura | |
|---|---|
| 6th President of Palau | |
| In office January 1, 1993 – January 1, 2001 |
|
| Vice President | Tommy Remengesau |
| Preceded by | Ngiratkel Etpison |
| Succeeded by | Tommy Remengesau |
| Vice President of Palau | |
| In office 1988 – January 1, 1993 |
|
| President | Ngiratkel Etpison |
| Preceded by | Thomas Remengesau, Sr. |
| Succeeded by | Tommy Remengesau |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 24, 1943 |
| Spouse(s) | Elong Nakamura |
Kuniwo Nakamura (Japanese: 中村國雄; born November 24, 1943) was the President and foreign minister of Palau from 1993 until 2001.
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Nakamura is the son of a Japanese immigrant from Matsusaka, Ise Province and a Palauan chieftain's daughter. He was studying in his second year of primary school when the surrender of Japan ended World War II. He graduated from high school under the U.S. occupation, and went on to study at the University of Hawaii.[1]
Nakamura began his political career at the age of 28, becoming the youngest person to be elected to the Congress of Micronesia.[2] He served as Vice-President from 1988 to 1992.[3] He was first elected president in the 1992 elections; he attracted 3,125 votes, versus 2,084 for one-term incumbent Ngiratkel Etpison and 3,188 for rival Johnson Toribiong, and then went on to defeat Toribiong in the runoff.[4] He served two terms, being re-elected in 1996 by a 64%-36% margin over Ibedul Yutaka Gibbons.[5] He did not run in the 2000 elections, but backed his vice-president Tommy Remengesau, who emerged victorious by a 53%-47% margin against senator Peter Sugiyama.[2]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Remengesau, Sr. |
Vice-President of Palau 1988–1993 |
Succeeded by Thomas Remengesau, Jr. |
| Preceded by Ngiratkel Etpison |
President of Palau 1993–2001 |
Succeeded by Thomas Remengesau, Jr. |
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