Herbert Norman

Born 1909, in Karuizawa, Japan; died Apr. 4, 1957, in Cairo. Canadian diplomat and scholar specializing in Japanese studies.

The son of a missionary, Norman studied at the University of Toronto, at Cambridge University, and at Harvard. In 1939 he entered the Canadian diplomatic service. In 1946, Norman became the deputy representative of Canada to the Far East Commission in Washington, D.C. From 1946 to 1949 he was the Canadian representative (chargé d’affaires) at the headquarters of the occupation forces in Japan. In 1956, Norman became Canadian ambassador to Egypt. At the same time, he served as envoy to Lebanon.

Norman wrote many works on the history of Japan in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, including works on the development of social thought. His works are among the best Western studies of Japan written in the 1940’s and 1950’s.