Who was the Japanese ambassador to the United States when Pearl Harbor was attacked?

Kichisaburo Nomura was Japan’s ambassador to the United States when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941.

Nomura served in Washington during the tense diplomatic negotiations between Japan and the United States. He was joined by special envoy Saburo Kurusu, and the two diplomats presented Japan’s final message to U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull on December 7. The message ended negotiations but did not contain an explicit declaration of war in the conventional form.

The Japanese attack began before the diplomats delivered the message. The timing became a major issue in American public discussion because the United States viewed the attack as a surprise assault carried out while negotiations were still formally underway.

Nomura should not be confused with Kurusu, who was his diplomatic colleague, or with Hiroshi Oshima, Japan’s ambassador to Germany. Nomura’s career also included service as a naval officer and foreign minister before his Washington appointment.