Japan's naval minister, diplomats, and political advisers

Admiral Katō Tomosaburō led the naval negotiations and later became prime minister. Although he supported naval spending, his government also withdrew forces from Shandong and ended participation in the Siberian intervention. His choice of bureaucrats and members of the House of Peers for the cabinet created tension with the army and is presented as an effort to balance competing groups. The ambassador to the United States and vice minister for foreign affairs supplied the delegation's diplomatic roles. Prince Tokugawa Iesato brought connections through the upper house and the former shogunal family, together with support for Hara Takashi's political approach. Those overlapping roles help explain why the delegation's authority cannot be understood from departmental titles alone.