He graduated from McKinley High School in Honolulu, studied at the University of Hawaii, and was a member of the ROTC there.
He is best known for working with the firm’s most important client, the ILWU, during the McCarthy era, which put him under suspicion for being a potential communist.
He was instrumental in lobbying the State Legislature on behalf of the ILWU for many years to enact legislation such as temporary disability insurance that protected the interests of working people.
He retired in 1989 capping a career of criticizing abuses of power and helping improve the lives of working people.
Even in retirement, Nakamura continued to speak out about what he regarded as corruption and cronyism in local politics including at the Hawaii State Pension system and at the Bishop Estate, a huge charity whose trustees were appointed by the Hawaii Supreme Court.