Akiko Nagashima

was a Japanese businesswoman and the wife of former Yomiuri Giants star Shigeo Nagashima. She served as the representative director of Nagashima's personal office, Office N Co., Ltd.

Early life, education, and family Akiko Nishimura was born in Shibuya, Tokyo (her parents' registered domicile was Kagoshima Prefecture). Her grandfather, Nishimura Tatsugoro, ran the publishing company Toundo Bookstore, publishing some of the most notable poetry collections in literary history, including Ishikawa Takuboku's "A Handful of Sand" and "Sad Toys," Saito Mokichi's "Red Light," Kitahara Hakushu's "Paulownia Flowers," and Wakayama Bokusui's "Separation." Nishimura was also active as a poet under the name Nishimura Yokichi, and is known as one of the pioneers of colloquial tanka poetry. Akiko's father, Nishimura Mitsuo, served as president of Naigai Publishing.

While attending Denenchofu Futaba Junior and Senior High Schools, Akiko Nishimura studied in the United States, graduating from a local high school and College of Saint Teresa in Winona, Minnesota. She was fluent in English, They were quickly engaged on November 26, 1964, just 40 days after they met. The wedding was the most watched television event in 1965 Japan; Akiko was 22 years old and Shigeo was 29. They faithfully followed Shigeo's motto, "Don't show your face at a man's workplace," and had two sons, Kazushige and Masaoki, and two daughters, Yuki and Mina.

In 2002, Akiko Nagashima became a member of the Ministry of the Environment's "Wa-no-Kuni Living Conference," where she spoke on environmental issues from her own experience and her perspective as a housewife. On March 4, 2004, when her husband suffered a cerebral infarction, Nagashima accompanied him through his rehabilitation. In June of the same year, her eldest son, Kazushige, gave birth to twin daughters, making her a grandmother. Although she generally avoided media appearances, Nagashima made a brief appearance on Fuji TV's Kinashi Guide: Weekend Expert when Kazushige appeared as a guest, where she treated Noritake Kinashi of the comedy duo Tunnels to several types of homemade pies.

Death On September 17, 2007, after a dinner with Kazushige and his wife, Nishimura complained of feeling unwell and was hospitalized. Her husband, Shigeo, and her second daughter, Mina, rushed to her side, but she remained unconscious and died of heart failure at 4:33 AM on September 18 at the age of 64. After her death, Mina took over as CEO of Office N. According to Kazushige, her grave is in Hawaii.

Books My American Home Cooking (Bunka Publishing Bureau, April 1991) ISBN 4579203836