He was educated in military preparatory schools from early youth, and graduated from the 13th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1901, and from the 21st class of the Army Staff College in 1909, where his classmates included Hisaichi Terauchi and Yoshijirō Umezu.

After his promotion to lieutenant colonel, Nakamura was assigned command of the IJA 67th Infantry Regiment from 1922 to 1923.

He returned to the field as the commander of the Japanese China Garrison Army in 1932, and was shortly thereafter promoted to lieutenant general.

Afterwards, Nakamura was appointed commander of the Eastern District Army, and was promoted to full general in 1938.

From 1941 until his retirement due to poor health in 1943, Nakamura served as a member of the Supreme War Council.