CASE FILE · DD-35
2020 Japan MOD UAP reporting protocol
Period · 2020Place · Japan Ministry of Defense and Self-Defense Forces
01 · OVERVIEW
Case overview
In September 2020, Japan's Ministry of Defense issued instructions for Self-Defense Force units to photograph or film unidentified objects that might affect national airspace and to conduct necessary analysis. The move was reported in the context of U.S.–Japan discussions on UAP information sharing. The protocol is documented, but it does not constitute Japanese government recognition of extraterrestrial craft; it is an air-safety and airspace-monitoring procedure.
The Ichigaya headquarters of Japan's Ministry of Defense, which issued the protocol; it is not an image of an unidentified object.
Ominae · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗03 · IMAGE CONTEXT
Image analysis
The photograph identifies the policy-making institution. The reporting procedure must be kept separate from evidence for any extraordinary object.04 · EVIDENCE REVIEW
Nature of the evidence
MOD issuance of instructions and the photograph, record and analysis procedure
Number of reports gathered under the protocol and contents of non-public records
Government recordMilitary · institutional
05 · SOURCE TRAIL