Sadaaki Nakamura

Mr. Nakamura is chairman of JYONAN Holding corp. For over 40 years he has innovated and improved his community and industry. Known for designing and manufacturing tow trucks, he also invented the “Trans Low” transporter truck with a flatbed adjustable hydraulic system, allowing the driver to lower the truck’s load for use on roads with height restrictions.

Mr. Nakamura also put his welder training to use by mounting American towing equipment, principally manufactured by Miller Industries and fit to Japanese specifications, to his own chassis. He sold them widely in Japan, building a successful company. Mr. Nakamura owns the largest road service company in the eastern region of Japan, with a fleet of 80 small- to heavy-duty trucks. After Japan’s devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami, where over 15,000 people perished, Mr. Nakamura assembled and led a disaster relief team to clear roads for free so that first responders could save lives. “He is dedicated to helping people in trouble, which is the basic principle of the towing industry.”

Today the disaster relief team, part of the Japan towing & Road Service Corp., the largest towing association, works with municipalities around the country and is deployed whenever and wherever disasters occur. Mr. Nakamura, who is vice chief chair of the association, has even cooked meals for the volunteer tow operators on scene. “Up until the disaster, tow truck companies were competitors, but during the disaster, they worked together for one purpose for the first time.” Mr. Nakamura has been a tireless advocate of Japan’s towing industry. “It is difficult to tell the history of the Japanese tow truck without Mr. Sadaaki Nakamura.”