Japan to "Establish Procedures in the Event an Encounter is Made with a UFO,” Says Defense Minister

Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono announced at an April 28th news conference that the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) will be establishing procedures in case they encounter any UFOs, following the Pentagon's official release of three videos that show unidentified flying objects encountered by U.S. military pilots.

“We would like to establish procedures in the event an encounter is made with a UFO,” he said.

Kono went on to say that while pilots with the SDF had never encountered a UFO, his ministry will still develop protocols for the possibility.

“If video can be taken [of a UFO encounter] and if a report is possible, then a report will be made," he said. "Discussions will be held with the Air SDF about just what can be done.”

The Japanese government’s previously held official position on UFOs, declared in 2018, was that "no confirmation has been made of their existence,” and that they had "not considered in any specific manner what will be done should a UFO be sighted flying toward Japan.”

That position appears to have shifted slightly since the recent UFO video release by the Pentagon.

“To be honest, I don’t believe in UFOs,” Kono said. “But because the [U.S.] Defense Department released such a video, I would like to hear from the U.S. side about its intention and analysis.”

Currently, Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) fighter jets can be scrambled from seven bases, ranging from Hokkaido to Okinawa, to intercept aircraft of unknown nationality.

According to the Defense Ministry, any unknown aircraft that appear as though they might enter Japanese airspace are met by fighters who call on it in English to change course, and once the aircraft's nationality has been identified, the request is repeated in that country's language.

The ASDF is authorized to fire at any aircraft entering Japanese airspace in an effort to force it to land, but it is unclear if this strategy will be implemented against UFOs.

There is concern that UFOs might not be able to be detected by land-based radar systems, and because of this could be encountered by SDF planes on training or surveillance missions.

“If (UFOs) are encountered, training will be canceled immediately,” an ASDF source told The Japan Times. “We will seek to identify it from a safe distance, including whether it is a drone, and report it to the Air Defense Direction Center for orders.”

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