As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 7, 2010

Registration Statement No. 333-            

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE

SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

NOMURA HORUDINGUSU KABUSHIKI KAISHA

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

NOMURA HOLDINGS, INC.

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

9-1, Nihonbashi 1-chome

Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-8645

Japan

(81-3-5255-1000)

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Stock Acquisition Rights (No.19) of Nomura Holdings, Inc.

Stock Acquisition Rights (No.20) of Nomura Holdings, Inc.

Stock Acquisition Rights (No.21) of Nomura Holdings, Inc.

Stock Acquisition Rights (No.22) of Nomura Holdings, Inc.

Stock Acquisition Rights (No.23) of Nomura Holdings, Inc.

Stock Acquisition Rights (No.24) of Nomura Holdings, Inc.

Stock Acquisition Rights (No.25) of Nomura Holdings, Inc.

Stock Acquisition Rights (No.26) of Nomura Holdings, Inc.

Stock Acquisition Rights (No.27) of Nomura Holdings, Inc.

(Full Title of the Plan)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Nomura Securities International, Inc.

2 World Financial Center, Building B

New York, New York 10281-1198

(212-667-9300)

(Name, Address and Telephone Number of Agent for Service)

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

All information required by Part I to be contained in the Section 10(a) prospectus is omitted from this registration statement in accordance with Rule 428 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the Note to Part I of Form S-8.

All information required by Part I to be contained in the Section 10(a) prospectus is omitted from this registration statement in accordance with Rule 428 under the Securities Act and the Note to Part I to Form S-8.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

The following documents, or sections of documents, as applicable, filed by Nomura Holdings, Inc. (the “Registrant”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) are incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof:

(1) The Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009 filed by the Registrant with the Commission on June 30, 2009; and

(2) All other reports filed by the Registrant with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) since March 31, 2009.

In addition, all reports filed by the Registrant with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of this registration statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this registration statement which indicates that all securities offered have been sold, or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.

Any statement contained herein or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this registration statement to the extent that a statement contained in any subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this registration statement.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Article 330 and Article 402, Paragraph 3 of the Companies Act of Japan (the “Companies Act”) make the provisions of Section 10, Chapter 2, Book III of the Civil Code of Japan applicable to the relationship between the Registrant and its directors and executive officers, respectively. Section 10, among other things, provides in effect that:

(1) Any director or executive officer of a company may demand advance payment of expenses which are considered necessary for the management of the affairs of such company entrusted to him;

(2) If a director or an executive officer of a company has defrayed any expenses which are considered necessary for the management of the affairs of such company entrusted to him, he may demand reimbursement therefor and interest thereon after the date of payment from such company;

(3) If a director or an executive officer has assumed an obligation necessary for the management of the affairs of a company entrusted to him, he may require such company to perform it in his place or, if it is not due, to furnish adequate security; and

(4) If a director or an executive officer, without any fault on his part, sustains damage through the management of the affairs of a company entrusted to him, he may demand compensation therefor from such company.

The Registrant pursuant to Article 427, Paragraph 1 of the Companies Act has entered into agreements with its “Outside Directors” as defined in Article 2, Item 15 of the Companies Act under which, if such directors become liable for damages to the Registrant pursuant to Article 423, Paragraph 1 of the Companies Act, for any reason attributable to their duties performed in good faith and without gross negligence, such liability is limited to certain amounts. Such limitation is generally enforceable as between the Registrant and such directors under Japanese law. Such agreements may not be available for certain violations of U.S. federal securities law and may be determined by courts of the United States to be unenforceable in such circumstances.

Not applicable.

(1) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(i) and (a)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

In a primary offering of securities of the undersigned Registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned Registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(2) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of Tokyo, Japan on April 7, 2010.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the following capacities on April 7, 2010.

Each person whose signature appears below authorizes Shinji Iwai, Senior Managing Director of the Registrant as attorney-in-fact, to sign any amendment, including post-effective amendments, to this registration statement on his behalf, individually and in each capacity stated below, and to file any such amendment.

EXHIBIT INDEX*