Person
Taro Kono
Also known as Kono, Defense Minister Kono
- Minister of Defense of Japan (2019–2020); Minister for Foreign Affairs (2017–2019)
- Member of the House of Representatives (National Diet)
Taro Kono is a member of Japan's House of Representatives who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs (2017–2019) and Minister of Defense (2019–2020). In September 2020 he ordered the Self-Defense Forces to record and analyse unidentified aerial objects, saying the step was prompted by the Pentagon's release of Navy videos, that the forces had no recorded encounters, and that he did not personally believe in UFOs. He said the subject had come up in his August 2020 meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
Sources: The Japan Times (2020)
Facts and claims
- claimed As Japan's Defense Minister in 2020, Kono said Japan would soon issue a policy on responding to UFOs, and that the topic came up in his meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper. — Taro Kono Source: UFOs - Japan’s Minister of Defense discusses an alliance with U.S. SecDef Mark Esper at 0:12
Connected files
Documents
- Press conference transcript: Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono (September 15, 2020) (recorded by) — Kono's press conference announcing his directive on reporting unidentified aerial objects
Events
Organizations
Videos
- Japanese military given instructions on UFOs (appears in)
- UFOs - Japan’s Minister of Defense discusses an alliance with U.S. SecDef Mark Esper (appears in)