Dec 18, 2007 5:14 pm US/Eastern
Japan Government Spokesman: UFOs Exist
TOKYO (AP) ―
Japan's air force has never spotted a UFO, but the country's top
government spokesman said Tuesday he "definitely" believes they exist.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura was speaking to reporters
in response to demands lodged by an opposition lawmaker for an inquiry
into "frequent reports of UFO sightings."
The government said in an official reply that it had "not confirmed
sightings of unidentified flying objects believed to be from outer
space."
Still, "I definitely believe they exist," Machimura said as reporters erupted in laughter.
In a written response issued Tuesday to opposition Democratic Party
of Japan lawmaker Ryuji Yamane, the government said the air force had
often spotted "birds and other objects beside aircraft," but no UFOs.
Tokyo keeps a vigilant watch over Japanese airspace and is ready to
scramble fighter jets to intercept suspicious airborne objects, the
government reply said.
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