Nomura was a player-manager for the last eight years he was with the Hawks. He lead them to the Pacific League title in 1973. He later became full-time manager of the Yakult Swallows. He managed the team to four league titles and three Japan Series championships from 1990 to 1998. Later, he managed the Hanshin Tigers (1999–2001) and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (2006–2009). As a manager, Nomura has 1,565 wins. This is the fifth-most wins of any manager in NPB history. He was added to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.