The Kataoka Method: A Modular Rhetorical Framework Integrating Reporting and Persuasion

The Kataoka Method is a Japanese-origin rhetorical framework that integrates reporting and persuasion in technical communication. Traditional Western approaches tend to separate reporting (clarity, accuracy, objectivity) from persuasion, which can lead to situations where accurate information fails to prompt appropriate action. Inspired by analyses of the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear accident, Hideki Kataoka concluded that technical reports must also function as persuasive documents. The Kataoka Method defines ten modular rhetorical patterns (“Ten Rhetorics®”): six for reporting (analysis, description, instruction, research, definition, classification) and four for persuasion (persuasion, problem–solution, cause–effect, comparison–contrast). These patterns can be combined like LEGO blocks to construct documents that are both informative and action‑oriented. This work presents the theoretical foundations, structure, and applications of the Kataoka Method, compares it with Western rhetorical and technical communication frameworks, and argues for its international significance. The framework is designed to be directly applicable to engineers’ and researchers’ everyday documents, including technical reports, research proposals, manuals, and risk communication materials.