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Japan or the Pacific, between 1940 and 1945:

Case number:

ACUFO-1940-00-00-JAPAN-5

Summary:

This photo appeared on many “UFO” Websites, and on social networks, in the years 2000 - 2020, without ever having a relevant caption other than claims that it is a photo of a “Foo-Fighter” above a Japanese plane during World War II.

In 1997, Italian ufologist Giuseppe Stilo, discussing the alleged “Foo-Fighter“ photos which would come from Japanese aviation during the Second World War, published in numerous books giving no source, explained that ufologists specializing in «Foo-Fighter« were not aware of any well-documented reports that would be linked to these photos, and that consultations with these ufologists revealed they have a unique and very questionable source.

This source, dating from 1963 and 1964, was the Japanese “contactee” group “Cosmic Brotherhood Association”, led by Yusuke J. Matsumura. They had published numerous photos, in their newsletter Flying Saucer News in 1963 and 1964, including this one, showing a Japanese Lily 99 in isolated flight and, in the upper right corner, a gray spot with a lighter outline.

Stilo explains that in the mid-1950s, Yusuke Matsumura distributed mimeographed bulletins in English on behalf of a small group of enthusiasts called the "Flying Saucer Research Group"; that in 1958, in Yokohama, he created the "CBA International (Cosmic Brotherhood Association)" with the administrator in Japan of the American contactee George Adamski, Hachiro Kubota, and launched the small magazine "Flying Saucer News". Matsumura then claimed to have met the "Space Brothers" himself, who took him into their spaceship (etc.). From 1957 on, Matsumura released dozens of photos of unusual clouds, claiming that they were spaceships that he had photographed himself. He ended up setting up a real apocalyptic sect and practicing fraud, having money paid to him by his disciples whom his extraterrestrial friends were supposed to save from the soon to come end of the world, which did not happen. He continued to publish alleged photos of UFOs, faked by him.

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Sources:

[Ref. gso1:] GIUSEPPE STILO:

This Italian UFO researcher discusses alleged “Foo-Fighter“ photos which would come from Japanese aviation during the Second World War, which were published in numerous books giving no source. He explains that ufologists specializing in «Foo-Fighter« are not aware of any well-documented reports that would be linked to these photos, and that consultations with these ufologists revealed that they have a unique and very questionable source.

The source, dating from 1963 and 1964, was the Japanese “contactee” group “Cosmic Brotherhood Association”, led by Yusuke J. Matsumura. They had published numerous photos, none of which had a source from Western ufology.

A first series was published by the CBA in the second issue of the 1963 newsletter Flying Saucer News.

Stilo commented the above picture:

Stilo explains that in the mid-1950s, Yusuke Matsumura distributed mimeographed bulletins in English on behalf of a small group of enthusiasts called the "Flying Saucer Research Group"; that in 1958, in Yokohama, he created the "CBA International (Cosmic Brotherhood Association)" with the administrator in Japan of the American contactee George Adamski, Hachiro Kubota, and launched the small magazine "Flying Saucer News". Matsumura then claimed to have met the "Space Brothers" himself, who took him into their spaceship (etc.). From 1957 on, Matsumura released dozens of photos of unusual clouds, claiming that they were spaceships that he had photographed himself. He ended up setting up a real apocalyptic sect and practicing fraud, having money paid to him by his disciples whom his extraterrestrial friends were supposed to save from the soon to come end of the world, which did not happen. He continued to publish alleged photos of UFOs, faked by him.

[Ref. www1:] ON THE WEB:

The photo never has any relevant caption; it appears on the Web in the 2000 - 2020, then on social networks, with titles claiming it is a photo of a “Foo-Fighter” above a Japanese plane.

Aircraft information:

The plane on the image is a Kawasaki Ki-48 Japanese light bomber, Army Type 99 (photo below). It was used during World War II from late 1940 and on, and its Allied reporting nickname was “Lily”.

Discussion:

The light spot in the photo could be anything. No sighting report linked to the image exists.

As with the other photos of alleged “foo-fighters” near Japanese WWII planes, it seems likely that this too came from a publication by a Japanese group of UFO and aliens enthusiasts, the “Cosmic Brotherhood Association” (C.B.A).

According to the American ufologist Jan Aldrich, a Japanese ufologist familiar with these photos, Jun-Tchi Takanashi, indicated that all the photographs of “foo-fighters” of the C.B.A. were “false”, “without origin or pedigree.”

My opinion is that the Cosmic Brotherhood Association probably found the photo in some Japanese aviation book or newspaper or magazine, saw the light spot and decided it must be a UFO.

Update on July 17, 2024:

Having found the information by Giuseppe Stilo [gso1], I am more convinced of my idea that “the Cosmic Brotherhood Association probably found the photo in some Japanese aviation book or newspaper or magazine, saw the light spot and decided it must be a UFO.”

Indeed, Stilo explained that “Matsumura released dozens of photos of unusual clouds, claiming that they were spaceships that he had photographed himself.”

I think this suggests that Matsumura had no skills and / or no equipment to fake photographs at this time, and just used any “odd” photo to claim they showed UFOs.

Evaluation:

Possible photo artefact.

Sources references:

* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.

• [fsn1] ? "Contactee" bulletin Flying Saucer News, by Yusuke Matsumura, "Cosmic Brotherhood Association", Japan, 1963 or 1964.
• [gso1] * "Il ritorno di foo fighters, article by Giuseppe Stilo, in the ufology magazine Rivista UFO, Centro Italiano Studi Ufologici (CISU), Italy, No. 20, page 8, December 1997.
• [www1] * Photo published on the Web, on numerous "UFO" Websites and social networks, 2000 - 2020.

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This page was last updated on July 17, 2024.