The Japanese government is working with the United States to reassess the nature of unidentified flying objects sighted in Japan in recent years after Washington shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon, a Japanese government spokesman announced.
“We are in dialogue with the United States, but we will not comment on diplomatic negotiations”government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters on Thursday.
“That said, we analyzed objects observed in Japan in June 2020 and September 2021, including their possible links to the event that occurred in the United States,” he added.
A mysterious balloon-like flying object was discovered in northern Japan in 2020. Residents posted photos on social media.
Japan’s meteorological agency said at the time that the device looked like a meteorological analysis airship, but was not one of them.
The government ruled out the possibility that the device belonged to a foreign state, but the case of the Chinese balloon shot down in US skies has once again cast doubt on its nature.
Matsuno indicated that ‘the government discovered similar balloons of unknown origin’one of them in January 2022, flying over the sea west of Kyushu, in the southwest of the country.
“We will continue to make the necessary efforts to collect and analyze [a informação] in cooperation with our ally,” he added.
Japan’s defense ministry said this week it is “monitoring Japan’s airspace 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
However, it has not confirmed whether any balloons similar to the one shot down by the United States have been sighted over Japan.
“When we confirm an airspace invasion, we announce it correctly. We never confirm or announce an airspace violation by balloons,” the ministry told AFP.
Source: DN
