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The Japanese government is set to investigate recent sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) taking place in the skies over Japan to determine if they are credible.

The investigators will work to determine if the spotted crafts are in any way a threat to Japan’s security.

That might make you ask, do the aircraft come from foreign adversaries, or somewhere more extraterrestrial?

Following the US’ lead in conducting a government-level investigation into these strange sightings, Japan’s focus is very much on the possibility of earthbound threats, especially from neighbouring China, rather than extraterrestrial ones, per Popular Mechanics.

According to Jiji Press, the group consists of approximately 80 Japanese lawmakers, mostly drawn from Japan’s legislative body, or Diet, who believe the UAP phenomenon is under-scrutinised by the government, especially in light of recent sightings of unidentified objects in and around Japan.

Remember, ‘UAP’ is a term recently proclaimed by the US Department of Defense to differentiate its own investigative effort from past efforts to study unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, which have strong associations with flying saucers and possible extraterrestrial sightings.

So far, the as-yet-titled group in Japan lacks any direct government or agency support, like the Ministry of Defense or the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Japanese equivalent of NASA. However since the group is made of lawmakers, they can approve spending to involve those agencies in UAP analyses.

The growing number of high-profile sightings reported by US military pilots, radar operators, and other personnel; the development of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones; and China’s use of balloons to collect intelligence regarding foreign countries has prompted Japan to take the possible threat of UAPs more seriously.

The main concern is that China or Russia could be behind the sightings, which means either country could have made technological breakthroughs that allow its aircraft to conduct aerial manoeuvres that are impossible by today’s standards.

In 2004, for example, Navy personnel reported a craft that could fly up to 7,200 miles (around 11,500 kilometres) an hour, faster than the fastest-known aircraft, and quickly changing altitude, going from 20,000 feet (6,000 metres) to 80,000 feet (24,000 metres) in a matter of moments.

Any military aircraft that can pull off moves like that would totally dominate American or Japanese planes.

Another possibility is that a foreign power might be spying on Japan using drones or balloons, and people might mistake these for alien craft, so they don’t get taken seriously. A Chinese drone could be flying right out in the open, with witnesses getting laughed at by the authorities, while it collects sensitive info on Japanese politics, military, and economy.

As UAP study group chairman and former Defense Minister Hamada said, “Leaving something unknown is a problem for national security.”

The Self-Defense Forces of Japan are some of the most technologically advanced in the world, even set to purchase 147 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, which will be the second-largest F-35 fleet outside of the United States.

Then again, the new Japanese effort to study UAPs is several steps behind the US, whose All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, is currently investigating UAP sightings.

[source:popularmechanics]