Kichisaburō Nomura

Kichisaburō Nomura (野村吉三郎, Nomura Kichisaburō, 16 December 1877-8 May 1964) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and was the ambassador to the United States until Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.

Naval attaché to the United States, (1916-1918)
Varied duties on Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff, (1921)
Attended Washington Naval Conference, (1921-1922)
Councilor, Supreme War Council, (1933-1937)
Resigned from active service, (1937)
Foreign Minister of Japan, (1939-1940)
Ambassador to the United States, replacing Kensuke Horinouchi (March 1941-July 1942) He and "special envoy" to Washington, Saburo Kurusu, were negotiating with United States Secretary of State Cordell Hull when Pearl Harbor was bombed on Sunday December 7, 1941. As it was Monday December 8th in Japan, it should come as no surprise if the Japanese Foreign Office didn't realize the embassy's technical support staff would be absent in Washington, DC. Reportedly Nomura and Kurusu had to personally decode the radioed message of Japan's breaking off the negotiations with US (which given the circumstances practically meant war). The resultant delay has been cited as why they were unable to even attempt to deliver it until after the actual attack had taken place.
Ambassador-at-large, (July 1942-December 1942)
Appointed to Privy Council, (May 1945)