The former prime minister still headed up the LDP’s largest legislative faction at the time of his assassination. Can the next leader keep the group intact?
Nomura Katsuya (84): Pro baseball catcher, manager
A star catcher in the 1950s and 1960s for the Nankai Hawks, Nomura led the team through its golden age, becoming the first player in the postwar era to earn the triple crown for the league’s top batting average, home runs, and runs batted in. Despite his prowess, his play in the Pacific League with its sparse audiences brought him less recognition than that enjoyed by Oh Sadaharu and Nagashima Shigeo in the Central League. After retirement as a player, he became manager of the Yakult Swallows in 1990, applying rigorous research techniques to the game and his opponents and leading the squad to Japan Series championships in 1993, 1995, and 1997. He would go on to manage the Hanshin Tigers and Rakuten Eagles as well. As a TV commentator, he continued to win fans for his sharp tongue and witticisms on the game.