Table Of ContentSailor Diplomat
Nomura Kichisaburō
and the Japanese-American War
Harvard East Asian Monographs 333
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Sailor Diplomat
Nomura Kichisaburō
and the Japanese-American War
Peter Mauch
Published by the Harvard University Asia Center
and distributed by Harvard University Press
Cambridge (Massachusetts) and London, 2011
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© 2011 by The President and Fellows of Harvard College
Printed in the United States of America
The Harvard University Asia Center publishes a monograph series and, in coordination
with the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, the Korea Institute, the Reischauer Insti-
tute of Japanese Studies, and other faculties and institutes, administers research projects
designed to further scholarly understanding of China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and other
Asian countries. The Center also sponsors projects addressing multidisciplinary and re-
gional issues in Asia.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mauch, Peter (Peter Cameron)
Sailor diplomat : Nomura Kichisaburō and the Japanese-American War / Peter Mauch.
p. cm. -- (Harvard East Asian monographs ; 333)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-674-05599-5 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1.Nomura, Kichisaburō, 1877-1964. 2. Japan--Foreign relations--1912-1945. 3. World War,
1939-1945--Causes. 4. Japan--Foreign relations--United States. 5. United States--Foreign
relations--Japan. 6. Diplomats--Japan--Biography. 7. Admirals--Japan--Biography. I. Har-
vard University. Asia Center. II. Title.
DS890.N65M38 2011
940.53'252092--dc22
[B]
2011013081
Index by the author
Printed on acid-free paper
Last figure below indicates year of this printing
21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11
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For the love of my life, Tomoko,
and for my children,
Joseph, Kyoko, and Mariko
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Acknowledgments
This study stems directly from my postgraduate research into the am-
bassadorial role that Admiral Nomura Kichisaburō played during the
Japanese-American negotiations before Pearl Harbor. That being the
case, it seems appropriate to offer my first vote of thanks to my doctoral
mentor, Joseph M. Siracusa. I am grateful to him for setting me on
my way in studying Nomura, and for remaining a constant source of
encouragement.
Among my many other scholarly debts, that I owe to Sadao Asada is
the greatest. Several years ago, he suggested I write a naval-diplomatic
biography of Nomura. He has gone far beyond the call of duty in help-
ing to bring this study to fruition. I can only hope this book approxi-
mates his exacting standards. I must also express my gratitude to Akira
Iriye, who has long since given me the benefit of both his wisdom and
his collegiality. Special thanks belong to Nagai Kazu, who has been
unfailing with his advice and kindness. Harry Wray, Roger Buckley, Mi-
chael Schaller, Richard Dean Burns, and Wilson Miscamble kindly gave
their time to read parts of the manuscript, and their comments and
criticisms led to improvements in the book. Michael Barnhart has of-
fered much sound advice, for which I am grateful. My good friend Denis
Brosnan has proved himself possessed of an eagle eye for unseemly de-
partures from good prose, and for those occasions where I assumed too
much background knowledge on the part of readers. Finally, I offer
my thanks to the two readers from the Harvard University Asia Center:
Mark Peattie made himself known to me; my other reader remains
anonymous. Either way, both made many valuable suggestions, which I
trust have been addressed satisfactorily in the following pages.
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viii Acknowledgments
Archivists are perhaps the unsung heroes of all historical research,
and I am more than pleased to acknowledge my very large debt to the
staffs of all the libraries and archives listed in the bibliography. I must
reserve special mention for Hamai Kazufumi at the Diplomatic Record
Office of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has been more helpful
in tracking down archival materials than he probably suspects. I value
his friendship, and I look forward to working closely with him in the
future.
Last—but certainly not least—I must offer my thanks to my family.
My wife, Tomoko, has truly been a tower of strength. It is no exag-
geration to state that this study would have been impossible without
her. My children, Joseph Shigeru, Kyoko Elizabeth, and Mariko Theresa
Madonna, have been my inspiration. My family in Queensland and in
Tokyo have provided more support than I could have hoped for. While
on the topic of families, I must also thank Admiral Nomura’s surviving
family for allowing me to use the admiral’s papers without any strings
attached.
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Contents
List of Figures xi
Preface xiii
1 Nomura’s Early Years (1877–1899) 1
2 Young Navy Officer (1899–1911) 18
3 Assignments to China, Tokyo, and Washington (1912–1918) 37
4 Nomura and the Era of Naval Limitation (1919–1937) 58
5 Foreign Minister Nomura (September 1939–January 1940) 94
6 Ambassadorial Appointment (August 1940–January 1941) 114
7 Ambassador Nomura and the Draft Understanding
(January–April 1941) 136
8 A Mission Gone Awry (May–October 1941) 167
9 The Failure of a Mission and War
(November 1941–August 1945) 204
10 Cold Warrior (November 1945–September 1951) 225
Epilogue 247
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x Contents
Reference Matter
Notes 255
Bibliography 291
Index 305
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