Bushido

Bushido formulates Japanese ethics and morals not only for warriors but also general citizens. Bushido has been saving Japan. Vice Admiral Fumio Ota will join us to explain how, through historic events and his personal experiences while serving as active duty in the JMSDF. Finally, he will touch upon the Tokyo Kendo Festival which will be held on the 6th of April.

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This event is a part of YCAPS' "Getting to Know Japan Series".

Speaker:

Vice Admiral Fumio Ota was born in Tokyo in 1948. Following matriculation from the Japan National Defense Academy in 1966, his military education includes Department Head Course (Gunnery), Command and Staff Course, and General Course at the National Institute for Defense Studies. From 1993 to 1994, he received two Master’s Degrees: MS National Resource Strategy from the U. S. National Defense University and an MA in International Public Policy at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University. In 2003, Dr. OTA obtained his Ph.D. in international relations from SAIS.

Following commissioning from Officer Candidate School in 1971, VADM OTA served at sea for almost ten years. His assignments included Commanding Officer of JDS YUUGUMO (DD-121), and Commander of Escort Division One subsequently followed by Escort Division Six Four.

Ashore, OTA Fumio has studied at various schools in the U.S. He was also assigned as an exchange instructor to the U. S. Naval Academy teaching seamanship, navigation, ship handling, and tactics from 1980 to 1982. Following an assignment to the planning and policy department in the Maritime Staff Office (MSO), he became the officer in charge of preparing the White Paper titled "Defense of Japan 1987", for the Japan Defense Agency. During his assignment as a fellow at the National Institute for Defense Studies in 1992, Dr. OTA was a visiting fellow at the Center for International Security and Arms Control at Stanford University co-directed by Dr. William Perry, the former U.S. Secretary of Defense. During this period, Dr. OTA conducted research along with U.S., Russian and Japanese Navy Captains titled "Cooperative Security in the Pacific." From 1996 to 1999, he served as the Defense and Naval Attaché at the Japanese Embassy in Washington DC. Upon his return to Japan, he was assigned as the Director J4 (Logistics), Joint Staff Office, Japan Defense Agency from 1999 to 2001. During the two assignments above, OTA Fumio received two legions of merits. After a brief assignment as the President of the Joint Staff College in 2001, he was assigned the director of Defense Intelligence Headquarters (DIH) until 2005 when he retired at the rank of Vice Admiral. During that period, he made intelligence briefings for then Prime Minister more than 40 times. Dr. OTA received two U.S. Defense Intelligence Director’s Awards, during his tours of Defense Attaché and the director of DIH. He made the second retirement as a professor of the National Defense Academy of Japan and of the Security & International affairs Ph.D. program at National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in March 2013. Dr. OTA is currently a Councilor, Planning Committee Member, and Senior Fellow of Japan Institute for National Fundamentals (JINF).

Dr. OTA wrote various books including “The US-Japan Alliance in the 21 st Century” (in English), “Intelligence and the National Strategy”, “International Situation and the National Security Policy”, “Are Japanese ignorant of Strategy and Intelligence?”,” The U.S. as an Ally”, "Defense Academies in the World" and "Sun Tzu", co-author of "Crisis management, theory and practice” and "How should we cope against the Chinese Maritime Strategy" (in Japanese). He is also an accomplished athlete, was a pentathlon candidate for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. His hobbies include Kendo (Seventh Grade Instructor), and Snow Skiing (First Class Player).

Format: This event will be recorded and published in our web archive. Questions are encouraged during the live event.

Registration: Required Link
Moderator: Jeffery Mazziotta

Webinar Cost: Free of charge