Provided is a positive electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery including a LiNi composite oxide having low internal resistance and excellent thermal stability. The positive electrode active material is obtained by performing a water washing process using a water spray on a LiNi composite oxide powder obtained by a firing step until the filtrate has an electric conductivity of 30 to 60 mS/cm, and then dried, where the LiNi composite oxide is represented by the composition formula (1): LibNi1-aM1aO2, where M1 represents at least one kind of element selected from transition metal elements other than Ni, group 2 elements, and group 13 elements, and 0.01≤a≤0.5, and 0.85≤b≤1.05.