Kichisaburo Nomura (1877-19xx). A distinguished Japanese admiral and diplomat, most notably serving as Ambassador to the United States during the critical months leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Born in Wakayama, Japan, Nomura, Kichisaburo—or Kichisaburo Nomura—rose through the ranks of the Imperial Japanese Navy after graduating second in his class from the Naval Academy in 1898. His early naval career included action in the Russo-Japanese War and assignments as naval attaché in Russia, Austria, Germany, and the United States, where he developed a reputation for diplomacy and a keen understanding of Western powers.
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Nomura held various senior naval posts, including Commander of the Third Fleet during the Shanghai Incident of 1932, where he lost an eye in a bombing by a Korean independence activist.
He was promoted to full admiral in 1933 and served on the Supreme War Council until his retirement in 1937. Following his naval career, Nomura was briefly Japan’s Foreign Minister before being appointed as ambassador to the United States in late 1940.
As ambassador, Nomura worked tirelessly to avert war between Japan and the United States, engaging in intensive negotiations with Secretary of State Cordell Hull throughout 1941. Despite his efforts, Nomura was largely kept in the dark by his own government regarding Japan’s military plans.
On December 7, 1941, unaware that the attack on Pearl Harbor was already underway, he delivered a diplomatic note to Hull declaring negotiations at an end. This timing, dictated by delays in decoding and delivering the message, led to lasting controversy and personal anguish for Nomura, who was recognized even by American officials as a sincere advocate for peace.
After the United States entered World War II, Nomura and other Japanese diplomats were interned before being repatriated to Japan in a diplomatic exchange. He was not implicated in war crimes and spent his later years in education and public service.
Nomura is remembered as a figure who, despite the constraints and secrecy of his government, sought to bridge the gap between two nations on the brink of war.