After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University in 1902, he passed the civil service examination and was posted to the Hokkaido regional administration.

In 1930 he was appointed as vice-minister of education in the cabinet of Prime Minister Hamaguchi Osachi.

He served as the 16th Governor-General of Taiwan from 1932 to 1936 and presided over the Taiwanese exposition (台湾博覧会) of 1935.

Nakagawa implemented limited self-rule in Taiwan by allowing Taiwanese and Japanese residents to vote for half of the membership of local assemblies, although these assemblies were still subject to extensive control by the governor-general.

He remained a member of the House of Peers and the head of the airline until his death in 1944.