Tosiwo Nakayama, 75; first president of Micronesian states
Tosiwo Nakayama, 75, who as the first president of the Federated States of Micronesia helped his country emerge from U.S. control, died March 29 at the Hawaii Medical Center West in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, Micronesian officials said Tuesday.
No cause of death was given, but Bethwel Henry, postmaster general of Micronesia and a former legislative colleague, said Nakayama had been ill for a while.
“We consider him our George Washington,” said Tadao Sigrah, the Micronesian consul general in Honolulu who was a former member of Nakayama’s presidential staff. “He’s one of the founding fathers of the country. He was a real leader.”
Originally from the Micronesian island group of Chuuk, Nakayama became the nation’s first president in May 1979, when the constitution was drafted, then won a second term and served until 1987.
The islands, formerly part of the U.S.-administered Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, officially became an independent nation under a Compact of Free Association with the United States in 1986.
With a population of about 107,000, the Federated States of Micronesia consists of 607 islands extending 1,800 miles across the archipelago of the Caroline Islands east of the Philippines.
Before becoming president, Nakayama served in the Congress of Micronesia and the interim Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
