UFO Criticism by JN from Japan - 2003 12 - vol 3 no 2

Magazine Overview

Title: The UFO Criticism by J.N. from Japan
Issue: Vol.3 No.2
Date: December 2003
Publisher: Junji Numakawa
Country: Japan
Language: English

Mr. Gordon Creighton in My Memory

The issue opens with a personal recollection by the editor, Junji Numakawa, of his encounter with the late UFO researcher Gordon Creighton in London in 1973. Numakawa describes how he met Creighton, who provided his name and address in English and Chinese characters. Despite Creighton's busy schedule, he responded to Numakawa's letter and received two issues of Numakawa's self-published newsletter, 'UFO REVIEW for foreign students.' These newsletters, handwritten and illustrated, covered topics such as a UFO-shaped boat in 1803 and 'Mt. Fuji and Spacemen.' Numakawa notes that he later left the UFO field but learned of Creighton's passing in July 2003 through the FSR website. He mentions Creighton's alleged encounter with a 'disc' in 1941 and speculates on his views regarding demons and UFOs.

BOOKS

Numakawa then reviews recent UFO-related books presented to him by a man living in Tokyo. These include:

• 'Bei Kain UFO Sinpojiumu' (A Symposium on UFOs at American Lower House), a translation of a 1968 U.S. Government Printing Office publication.
• 'A Study of Cases Where UFOs Were Captured by Radars' (November 2000), a work by three Japanese researchers.
• A translation of Captain Ruppelt's book (March 2002).
• A partial translation of the Condon Report (Part I: May 2003).

The man who presented these books is associated with 'Gakujutsu Kenkyu Shuppan Senta' (Scientific Study Publishing Center: SSPC), which publishes these works and runs the 'UFO Kenkyu WEB Magajin' (Web Magazine for UFO Study) aimed at promoting scientific UFO study.

A Message of a Japanese UFO Incident

This section revisits a forgotten Japanese UFO incident introduced in a previous issue: a luminous object flying parallel to a passenger plane on March 18, 1965. The article connects the date 'March 18' ('3.18') to the time of Captain Thomas Mantell's death (3:18 p.m.), citing 'The UFO Book' (1998). It references George Adamski's 'Inside the Space Ships' (1955), where a Saturnian explains that Mantell's plane crashed due to touching UFO radiation, and that airplanes cannot fly parallel with UFOs. The article notes that the left wing of Mantell's plane did touch the UFO's light without damage. Adamski's influence on the Japanese UFO scene is highlighted, including the founding of the 'Japan Flying Saucer Recearch Association' (JFSA) and 'Cosmic Brotherhood Association' (CBA). It also mentions Mr. Hachiro Kubota, translator of 'Inside the Space Ships,' and the organization 'GAP-Japan.' The article concludes by quoting Mr. Yoshiharu Inaba, the pilot of the passenger plane, who claims he intentionally avoided the object.

On "UFOs" in Abductions

The author draws a parallel between the modern Western abduction phenomenon and the Japanese concept of 'Kami-kakushi' (Being hidden by gods). He suggests that if UFOs are involved in abductions, they might represent the 'souls' of the abductees, referencing Japanese reports of fireballs believed to be souls leaving a human body. The article notes that Japanese folklore allows for humans to have multiple souls. It then recounts a personal experience of a woman from Nagano Prefecture who describes her soul leaving her body and flying, even visiting a friend's house as a fire ball.

• Source: Ms. Miyoko Matsutani's 'Gendai Minwa Ko' (A Study of Modern Folk Stories), Volume IV.

Page 3 Content

This page continues discussions on UFO phenomena and related organizations.

• Sky People Association (SPA): The author acknowledges overlooking SPA's magazine, 'Flying Saucer Phenomena,' which published a 5th issue in June 1998. This issue contained an article by Osamu Sato on the Gulf Breeze story, proposing a hypothesis that false UFOs or mistaken objects can lead to genuine UFO sightings, and that false witnesses can become genuine ones. Sato's hypothesis is considered noteworthy for explaining why UFOs might appear over Japanese believers in George Adamski.

• Kazuno UFO Research Association: This group celebrated its 10th birthday on June 24, 2003.

• Earthquake Forecast and UFOs: In September 2003, amateur astronomer Yoshio Kushida gained attention for his earthquake forecast based on unusual FM wave reflections. He had previously investigated a 1989 video from Kanazawa City, analyzed by Dr. Bruce Maccabee. The object in the video, initially appearing as a square-brimmed sphere, is explained as an ordinary passenger plane whose image was distorted by a camera lens artifact (a diamond-shaped iris) and a filter, a phenomenon also noted by Junichi Takanashi and analyzed in the UK.

• Kiyoshi Amamiya's Sighting: On September 9, 2003, UFO researcher Kiyoshi Amamiya videoed a tiny white light moving rapidly towards the moon. He attributed any camera malfunction to his two-time-repaired camera.

• Dr. Yoshihiko Ohtsuki's View: On November 12, 2003, physicist Dr. Yoshihiko Ohtsuki visited the 'UFO Public Hall' and stated that he regards all mysterious events as 'plasma' phenomena.

• "Sky Fish" (Flying Rods): A Japanese TV program on November 23, 2003, featured 'Sky Fish,' showing a fly appearing as a rod with multiple wings in slow-motion video. The author, along with Kiyoshi Amamiya, believes these are insects whose rapid movement causes them to appear elongated and with multiple wings when captured by a video camera, especially when the object flaps its wings multiple times within the shutter's open period. A similar case from Albany, USA, involving a slender flying object with two pairs of wings, is also discussed, with analysts judging it to be on the other side of a cloud.

Page 4 Content

This page details two Japanese locations associated with UFOs and space.

• "UFO Public Hall” Remodeled: Iino Town, Fukushima Prefecture, is known as a 'UFO town.' It established the 'UFO Fureai-kan' (UFO Public Hall) in 1992. Following remodeling, it reopened on July 20, 2003, with approximately 2000 items donated by the late Mr. Kinichi Arai, founder of the 'Japan Flying Saucer Research Association.' The hall is located on Sengan-mori mountain, believed to be a UFO hotspot. Mr. Tsugio Kinoshita, director of the hall, has been involved in UFO research since 1978 and believes there is a vortex of magnetic force in Japan centered at Mt. Fuji, with UFO sightings occurring along this line.

• Hakui City of These Days: Hakui City, Ishikawa Prefecture, no longer emphasizes its interest in UFOs as strongly as before. In November 1990, it hosted a successful 'Space and UFO International Symposium' attended by about 45,000 people. In July 1996, the city built a UFO-shaped museum, 'Kosumo-airu Hakui' (Cosmo Isle Hakui), at a cost of ¥5,260,000,000. A subsequent 'Space and UFO International Congress' in March 1997 was less crowded. The city's name, Hakui (羽咋), is noted as potentially difficult for Japanese to read. The city aimed to be known as 'the UFO city' based on an old document mentioning a 'mysterious fire,' but did not focus on modern sightings. The author notes that both events were titled 'Space and UFO,' not solely 'UFO,' and expresses his personal lack of interest in astronomy or space flight, preferring the 'attraction' of UFOs.

• Sources: The article cites an article from 'Shukan Tocho,' a magazine-styled book, a report from 'Ashita' magazine, and lecture notes from Ms. Shima Amamiya and Mr. Kiyoshi Amamiya.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently focuses on UFO phenomena, particularly as they relate to Japan and Japanese culture. There's a strong emphasis on historical cases, personal testimonies, and the critical analysis of reported sightings. The editor, Junji Numakawa, appears to favor a more grounded approach, seeking rational explanations for phenomena like 'Sky Fish' and questioning the nature of abductions by linking them to folklore. He also expresses a personal disinterest in space exploration, prioritizing UFO studies. The publication seems to aim at providing a platform for discussion and research within the Japanese UFO community, while also engaging with international UFO literature and researchers.