NIPPON



 

UFO fans are increasingly active in Japan, where lawmakers have called for official investigations and UFO events have attracted many visitors.

The trend, which followed U.S. developments including the establishment of a special organization to analyze eyewitness information and other data, "may reflect a sense of social anxiety," an expert says.

Some Japanese municipalities trying to take advantage of the mysteries of UFOs for regional revitalization are hoping for a return of the UFO boom.

 

The U.S. government refers to UFOs as unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs. In an interview on a popular podcast during the U.S. presidential election campaign last year, Donald Trump, who took office last month, emphasized the need to disclose information about UAPs.

In Japan, parliamentary members launched a nonpartisan group to study UAPs from the perspective of national security in June last year. The founders include Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.