US & Canada

U.S. Defense Dept’s New Website: Western Japan a ‘Hot Spot’ for UFO Sightings

AP
The Pentagon is seen in Washington on Aug. 27.

By Hiroshi Tajima / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

11:32 JST, September 2, 2023

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Defense on Thursday launched a new website to provide information on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), including unidentified flying objects (UFOs).

There have been growing calls from within the U.S. Congress to disclose UFO-related information, from a security perspective.

The website will be managed by the defense department’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), which is in charge of investigating UAPs.

Information collected by the U.S. military and other agencies will be shared on the website — including photos and videos relating to resolved cases — after being declassified and approved for public release.

“The department is committed to transparency with the American people on AARO’s work on UAPs,” Patrick Ryder, the department’s press secretary, said at a press conference.

A report posted on the site, which summarizes reporting trends from 1996 to 2023, classifies the region from western Japan to western China as a “hot spot” for sightings.

The website can be found at https://www.aaro.mil .