In 1975, two seven-year-old boys in Kofu, Japan, reported an encounter with a flying saucer and its occupants. They were taken seriously, and an investigation revealed not only other witnesses, but also physical evidence to back up their story. The case was re-examined almost 40 years later by investigators from the Space Phenomena Observatory Center, and in their opinion, still holds up. A report was given to the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization and the Center for UFO Studies by Matsushito Hayashi of the Japan Space Phenomena Association. Both organizations provided summaries (APRO here on page 5; and CUFOS here on page 13) in their publications. A two-part article using extensive Japanese sources was written by Otakupapa. It is titled Kofu Incident: A Creepy Alien Got Off a UFO and Tapped a Japanese Boy on the Shoulder and is posted on otakupapa.net.

According to the article, on Sunday, February 23, 1975, Masato Kono and Katushiro Yamahata were roller-skating on a concrete slab in a vacant lot at around 6:30 p.m. Looking up, they saw two lights moving towards them from the east. According to the version of events in one of Otakupapa’s sources (Kubota, Hachiro UFO to Uchu (UFOs & Space) June 1975, NO.12, 8-17, Universe Publishing Co.), the lights were seen by the boys to be orange objects as they got closer. At this point the boys could see that the objects were circular with three spinning structures on the bottom. The boys’ descriptions of the objects are very much like the “classic” Adamski-type saucer. According to writer Hiroshi Minamiyama (Otakupapa’s other source for this moment in the story) only one object came over to the boys while the other one flew off.

Read more →