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Masakatsu Ota
For Masakatsu Ota's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 10, 2018
Spat over NPT reference in Japan-sponsored U.N. resolution expands nuclear disarmament rift with U.S.
Policy differences emerge between Japan and the United States during bilateral consultations before a U.N. panel adopted a Japanese resolution calling for the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 4, 2018
Japan warned U.S. over reductions to nuclear arsenal and sought flexible deterrence, 2009 memo reveals
Japan's dependency on the U.S. nuclear umbrella and the bilateral "nuclear bond" have been strengthened through under-the-table discussions, according to a 2009 Japanese government memo recently obtained by Kyodo News and interviews with officials.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 21, 2017
Japan waters down text of annual anti-nuclear resolution to imply acceptable use of nukes
Under pressure from the U.S., Japan tweaks its annual U.N. resolution against nuclear weapons to imply their use might be acceptable in some cases.
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2016
End to breeder reactor, plutonium pile-up are twin problems for Japan's reprocessing policy
With the trouble-prone Monju fast-breeder reactor set to be scrapped and nuclear materials piling up, Japan's policy on reprocessing atomic fuel is becoming increasingly uncertain.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Jan 23, 2015
U.S. weighed giving Japan nuclear weapons in 1950s
Top U.S. military officials considered giving the Self-Defense Forces atomic weapons in the 1950s under an arrangement similar to NATO's "nuclear-sharing" deal, declassified documents from the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff revealed Friday.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on