This extensively researched biography casts new light on the life and career of this important figure. Connecting his experiences as a naval officer to his service as foreign minister and ambassador, and later as "father" of Japan's Maritime Self Defense Forces and proponent of the U.S.-Japanese alliance, this study reassesses Nomura's contributions as a hard-nosed realist whose grasp of the underlying realities of Japanese-U.S. relations went largely unappreciated by the Japanese political and military establishment.