Kuniwo Nakamura

Kuniwo Nakamura (中村國雄) was a Palauan politician who served as the President of Palau from 1993 to 2001. He had earlier served as Vice President of Palau from 1989 to 1993, under Ngiratkel Etpison.

Background and early life
Nakamura was 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 of Palau and went on to study at the University of Hawaii.

Personal life
His wife Elong Nakamura died on 17 November 2018 the age of 74.

Career
Nakamura began his political career at the age of 28, becoming the youngest person to be elected to the Congress of Micronesia. He was elected to the Senate of Palau in 1980. He served as Vice-President from January 1989 to January 1993. He held the additional role of Minister of Administration from 1989 to 1992, when President Ngiratkel Etpison appointed other members of the cabinet. At that time Nakamura was appointed to the additional role of Minister of Justice.

Nakamura 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. He served two terms, being re-elected in 1996 by a 64%-36% margin over Ibedul Yutaka Gibbons. 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.

Honors
In December 2021, the Taiwanese government paid for a statue of him in Peleliu for his role in establishing Palau–Taiwan relations.