Don't get too excited

[Ron Caliburn]

TOKYO (Reuters) - Yes, UFOs do exist, Japan's top government spokesman said Tuesday. The comment by chief cabinet secretary Nobutaka Machimura drew laughter from reporters at his regular briefing on government policy.

Earlier the cabinet, responding to an opposition lawmaker's question, issued a statement saying it could not confirm any cases of unidentified flying objects.

"This is an issue that the nation is interested in -- it is a defense issue and a confirmation operation needs to take place," Ryuji Yamane, a lawmaker from the main opposition Democratic Party who submitted the question to the cabinet, told Reuters.

"But the government does not even try to collect information necessary for the confirmation."

Machimura, asked about the government's view on UFOs at a regular press conference, told reporters that the government can only offer a stereotyped response.

"Personally, I definitely believe they exist," he said, apparently tongue in cheek.

But the prime minister stuck to the official view.

"I have yet to confirm (that UFOs exist)," Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda told reporters later in the day.

But the Japanese are starting to let on the truth.

[Natasha]

It's interesting the public face of a government's stance on the paranormal and the supernatural.

They almost never specific enough. It's unidentified. It's flying. It's an object. Now if they said alien ships from outer space exist...

[Kolya]

Governments do make such announcements from time to time.

Why do you think that is? I mean, what's the point of it at all?

[Natasha]

IIt just seems like something that happens from time to time. I always saw them as possibly pre-empting leaks about things that are going to happen or already happened.

[Kolya]

That sounds like any time the government says anything.

[Ron Caliburn]

That's the only reason the government tells us anything remotely truthful - so that we hear it from them before it gets embarrasing.

[Kolya]

Unfortunately we don't know what the Japanese saw or experienced.

[Natasha]

Sometimes a falling star is more than just a huge chunk of metal plunging through the atmosphere.

That's all I heard from some little bird who usually knows what she's talking about.

[Ron Caliburn]

I'm sure someone is going to make a snide comment about Britney Spears after that.



It's not the falling stars that are the big mysteries it's the "swamp gas" and "reflections of venus" that are worrisome.

[Natasha]

You beat them to it, Ron?

Venus does cast shadows on Earth; it's a fairly large object fairly close to Earth, so I'm not sure what's the worry about the shadow; or you are worried that if there is a shadow then that means the two planets are approaching or in some sort of celestial alignment, and those are by themselves worrisome?

[Ron Caliburn]

A reflection of Venus or swamp gas are two common cover stories the government hereuses to explain supernatural or alien encounters.

[Natasha]

Hm. Interesting. Well like I said, if Venus is casting a shadow on Earth then it's in inferior conjunction and that juices up the P.P.E. on Earth. So in a way, they're being honest, aren't they?

Sorry Ron if I'm not understanding you at all. I've been not sleeping well lately since being stalked and trying to keep up with my workload.

[Ron Caliburn]

My statement has nothing to actually do with Venus, and neither does the government's. It's jsut a standard lie fabricated to cover up somethign much worse.

[Natasha]

AH. I finally understood. sigh

[Kolya]

It's a strange thing.

The government is aware but actively keeps the population unaware.

Educating the population seems a daunting task. It's easy to keep them dumb. It's also good for continued participation in skunk works.

People gotta know but as we have discussed before in the Philos forum - opening their eyes, well it's just as simple as that.