OPTICAL TRANSMITTER AND OPTICAL TRANSMISSION METHOD

An optical transmitter includes an amplifying unit, a monitor, an identifying unit, and a controlling unit. The amplifying unit amplifies an optical signal in which an optical packet signal is mixed in optical path signals. The monitor monitors power of the optical signal on an input stage and an output stage of the optical amplifying unit, respectively. The identifying unit identifies an optical packet signal section on the input stage side based on the monitoring result on the input stage side, and identifies an optical packet signal section on the output stage side based on the monitoring result on the output stage side. The controlling unit compares the power of the identified section on the input stage side with the power of the identified section on the output stage side, and controls an amplification factor of the amplifying unit based on a power difference resulting from the comparison.