Japan refused to say if she was building battleships larger as 35.000 tons according to the Dutch magazine Marineblad dated 1938 no. 5

An item referred to the magazine RU.S.I. dated May 1938 reporting that Japan still refused to answer the question of she intended the building of battleships larger as 35.000 tons or already started with the building.(1) The decision of the naval powers to recall the escalator clause (2) to be allowed to built larger battleships was yet still not justified lacking the Japanese answer. An eventual naval arms race demanded enormous financial costs.

Notes
1. At that moment were already the Yamato on 4 November 1937 and the Musashi on 29 March 1938 laid down. The Shinano is completed as battleship. The Yamato-class was to consist of 5 battleship with a displacement of 68.300 (trial)-71.111 (standard)-73.000 (full load) tons, preceded by the realized Nagato class and the planned Number 13 class and to be succeeded by the planned A-150class .
2. The London Naval Treaty was a result of the Second London Naval Disarmament Conference and which begun on 9 December 1935. Finally was the treaty signed by United Kingdom, USA and France on 25 March 1936. Italy and Japan which in the past signed the other naval treaties both declined to sign. Capital ships were under this new treaty limited to a maximum of 35.562 tons and 35,6cm/14” guns. The escalator clause supplied the possibility to use 16” guns and built larger battleships if Japan or Italy still had not signed after 1 April 1937.