Masa Nakayama

Masa Nakayama (right) in 1953

Masa Nakayama (中山 マサ, Nakayama Masa^?, January 19, 1891 – October 11, 1976) was a Japanese politician, who was the first woman appointed to the Cabinet of Japan when she became Minister of Health and Welfare in 1960.^[1]

She was born Masa Iida-Powers in Nagasaki, the daughter of Rodney H. Powers, an American businessman, and his Japanese de facto, Naka Iida. Masa attended Kwassui Jogakko, a mission school run by American Methodist missionaries. She also studied at Ohio Wesleyan University in the United States,^[2] graduating in 1916 and starting a distinguished career in education prior to the outbreak of World War II.^[3]

In 1947, she was elected as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet, representing the second district of Osaka Prefecture^[4] for the LDP^[5] as part of Hayato Ikeda's government.^[6] In 1960, she became the first woman appointed to the Cabinet of Japan when she was made Minister of Health and Welfare. She served as a minister for five months, stepping down in December 1960. Nakayama retired from the Diet in 1969, and was succeeded in her seat by her son, Masaaki.^[4]

She was married to Fukuzō Nakayama, who was also a politician and served in the lower house from 1932 to 1942, and later in the upper house.^[4] Their sons are Representative Taro Nakayama and Representative Masaaki Nakayama. Representative Yasuhide Nakayama is their grandson and Masaaki's son.

References

1. ^ International Women's Democracy Center
2. ^ Oura Biographies: Rodney H. Powers, Nagasaki Foreign Settlement Research Group, Nagasaki Institute of Applied Science, June 8, 2006.
3. ^ Ramsdell, Daniel B. (1992). The Japanese Diet: stability and change in the Japanese House of Representatives, 1890–1990. University Press of America. p. 181. ISBN 0819184942. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Imamura, Anne E. (1996). Re-imaging Japanese women. University of California Press. p. 276. ISBN 0520202635. 
5. ^ Abortion Before Birth Control By Tiana Norgren, Christiana A. E. Norgren; pg 89
6. ^ The Clash: A History of U.S.-Japan Relations by Walter LaFeber, pg 322

Political offices
Preceded by Yoshio Watanabe	Minister of Health and Welfare 1960	Succeeded by Kimi Furui

Persondata
Name	Nakayama, Masa
Alternative names	Iida-Powers, Masa (birth name)
Short description	Japanese politician, first female cabinet minister
Date of birth	January 19, 1891
Place of birth	Nagasaki, Japan
Date of death	October 11, 1976
Place of death