Space Frontier Archives

U.S. Congressman and Japanese UAP Parliamentary Leaders Call for Greater International Cooperation A significant new development in international cooperation on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) emerged on September 16, 2026. U.S. Representative Eric Burlison, Japanese House of Representatives member and former Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, who chairs Japan’s UAP Parliamentary League, and former Japanese lawmaker Yoshiharu Asakawa, assistant to the chairman of the League, jointly called for greater cooperation among democratic allies on UAP disclosure, national security and parliamentary oversight. Their statement, published by the U.S. online publication The Debrief, was titled: “Democratic Allies Must Join Forces in the Race for UAP Disclosure.” The statement is not a bilateral declaration between the governments of Japan and the United States. Rather, it is a joint opinion by political figures from both countries. Its significance lies in the broader framework it presents: UAP are increasingly being discussed not simply as a question of unidentified objects, but in relation to national security, critical infrastructure, emerging technologies, government transparency, democratic oversight and international cooperation. U.S. UAP Disclosures Enter a New Phase In 2026, the United States began releasing UAP-related materials under the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters, or PURSUE. The released materials include government documents, imagery, video and firsthand accounts from officials. While the joint statement describes these disclosures as a historic shift, it also raises a more fundamental issue: Do elected representatives have sufficient access to UAP-related information held by national security and intelligence agencies? And, more broadly: Should government institutions alone determine what the public should be told? The question extends beyond UAP. It concerns the balance between protecting legitimate national security information and ensuring democratic oversight by elected representatives who are accountable to the public. Unresolved Incidents in U.S. Government Records Among the materials highlighted in the statement are firsthand reports involving senior officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. One document describes a search operation at a classified missile testing site in the western United States. According to the report, ground teams detected an object using Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR), describing it as extremely hot, close to the ground and moving at high speed. The account states that the object subsequently split into two and changed direction. Another reported encounter describes an object rising from the ground, approaching within approximately ten feet of a helicopter, descending below it and rapidly departing. Such accounts do not, by themselves, establish what the objects were. The central concern raised by the statement is instead whether elected officials possess sufficient information to assess unexplained phenomena operating in or near sensitive military environments. Japan Faces Similar Questions Around Critical Infrastructure The joint statement also points to an unresolved incident in Japan. On July 26, 2025, security personnel at the Genkai Nuclear Power Station in Saga Prefecture observed three lights in the sky around the facility. Kyushu Electric Power subsequently confirmed that the observation had occurred. Authorities responded to the incident, but no unidentified aircraft or object was ultimately located or identified. The significance of such incidents lies not in speculating about what the lights may have been, but in the governance questions they raise. When an unidentified aerial phenomenon is reported near critical infrastructure: Who investigates it? Which government agency collects and consolidates the data? What information is provided to elected lawmakers? How is relevant information shared with allies? And at what point should information be disclosed to the public? These questions are increasingly becoming part of the UAP policy debate. From UAP to Emerging Technologies Another notable element of the joint statement is its reference to the Emerging Technologies Interparliamentary Caucus (ETIC). ETIC provides a platform for elected representatives from different countries to engage in dialogue concerning emerging technologies and related security challenges, including UAP. The statement presents ETIC as a mechanism through which elected representatives can exchange information, assess potential threats and prepare for the security implications of rapidly developing technologies. This represents an important evolution in the policy discussion. Rather than presuming an explanation for UAP, unidentified phenomena can also be examined within the broader security environment created by drones, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and next-generation aerospace systems. Such an approach requires coordination among scientists, defense and intelligence institutions, legislatures and international allies. From Disclosure to International Governance For years, international reporting on UAP disclosure has focused primarily on congressional hearings and developments within the United States government. The participation of former Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and Yoshiharu Asakawa alongside a sitting U.S. Congressman therefore represents a notable development in Japan’s involvement in the international UAP policy discussion. Many UAP cases remain unresolved. Some incidents may ultimately be explained by conventional aircraft, drones, sensor effects, natural phenomena or other prosaic causes. Others remain unidentified because the available data are insufficient to reach a reliable conclusion. For that reason, the policy question is no longer simply: What are UAP? It is also: How should they be observed?Who controls the data?Who analyzes it?What level of oversight should elected legislatures have?What should be disclosed to the public?And how should relevant information be shared among allies? The international UAP debate is beginning to expand from disclosure to governance. The U.S.–Japan statement can be viewed as one important development in that broader transition. It concludes: “The people of our nations deserve answers, and we intend to find them.” The next question is how cooperation between U.S. and Japanese lawmakers will develop in practice—and what role Japan may play within ETIC and the wider international discussion surrounding UAP policy, security and emerging technologies. Introducing UAP &amp; JAPAN With this article, SPACE FRONTIER launches UAP &amp; JAPAN, a continuing editorial series examining Japan’s evolving role in UAP policy, security, science, transparency and international cooperation. As the UAP discussion in Japan develops, SPACE FRONTIER will follow government and parliamentary policy, the activities of Japan’s UAP Parliamentary League, national security and critical infrastructure issues, scientific research and data, transparency and legislative oversight, and Japan’s cooperation with the United States, Europe and other international partners. Our role is to examine primary sources and verifiable evidence, engage policymakers, researchers and specialists, and distinguish clearly between: What is known.What remains unknown.And how governments and institutions are responding. The UAP conversation is moving beyond a debate over belief or disbelief toward a new era of investigation, verification, policy and governance. SPACE FRONTIER will follow that transition from Japan to the world. Related Sources The Debrief — Democratic Allies Must Join Forces in the Race for UAP Disclosure (September 16, 2026) Joint opinion by U.S. Representative Eric Burlison, former Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, and former Japanese lawmaker Yoshiharu Asakawa. Yoshiharu Asakawa — U.S. and Japanese Lawmakers Issue Joint Statement on UAP Disclosure (September 17, 2026) Japanese-language statement by Yoshiharu Asakawa, one of the three contributors to the joint opinion. U.S. Department of War — Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE) Official U.S. government portal for released UAP-related records. Japan Ministry of Defense — Minister of Defense Press Conference (August 1, 2025) Official remarks concerning the reported observation of three lights near the Genkai Nuclear Power Station. Kyushu Electric Power — Official Statement on the Observation of Three Lights at the Genkai Nuclear Power Station (September 16, 2025) Official information from Kyushu Electric Power concerning the incident and subsequent response measures. About SPACE FRONTIER SPACE FRONTIER is an independent, non-partisan and non-religious private initiative connecting Japan and the world through reporting, research and international dialogue in space policy, emerging technologies and UAP-related issues.

Space Frontier

#04 | Italy International Conference 2026 Report | PART 3 OF 3 | Science, Society and the Future

#03 | Italy International Conference 2026 Report | PART 2 OF 3 | UAP AND NATIONAL SECURITY

#02 | Italy International Conference 2026 Report | Part 1 of 3 | International UAP Conference Held in Lucca, Italy

#01 | U.S.–Japan Cooperation on UAP Disclosure Takes a New Step

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