The Snapshots in Time Collection

Portrait of Vice Admiral (Kichisaburo) Nomura, Imperial Japanese Navy, Likely Shanghai, c. 1932

Portrait of Vice Admiral (Kichisaburo) Nomura, Imperial Japanese Navy, Likely Shanghai, c. 1932

Identified by an inscription as 'Vice Admiral Nomura,' this portrait likely depicts Kichisaburo Nomura, the Imperial Japanese Navy officer who commanded Japanese forces during the 1932 Shanghai Incident and later served as Japan's ambassador to Washington in the tense months before Pearl Harbor. The aircraft visible behind him suggests the photograph was taken at a naval air facility or aboard a seaplane tender. Project: 218606