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Younghusband
Author

Younghusband

Date

December 21st, 2007

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The sad convolutions of a pacifist constitution

Gojira!

Defense Minister troubled over legal issues if UFO arrives
Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Thursday that he was troubled over potential legal issues if a UFO arrives in Japan, requiring action by the Self-Defense Forces, Japanese media reports.

The subject was triggered by a question from oppositional lawmaker Ryuji Yamane, who argued the government should attempt to confirm what UFOs are because of “frequent observations” of them in Japan.

Who is this Ryuji Yamane character?

Comments to this entry

Curzon
December 21, 2007
2:29 am
I heard it was a "joke."

Not sure if that's after the fact ass-covering or the truth...
Younghusband
December 21, 2007
3:39 am
I think if Yamane asked the question in all seriousness, Ishiba did a good job turning it around with the Godzilla comment. You know, the old meet _boke_ with _boke_ tactic.

If it was a joke from the beginning, then I can understand. It isn't like the (now twice extended) Diet doesn't have better things to discuss than the existence of UFOs.
Durf
December 21, 2007
6:16 am
Saw that on TV this morning. Ishiba was really enjoying himself, going into all the possible outcomes--"If they're friendly aliens, coming to tell humans to live in peace with one another, then this doesn't fall under the Defense Ministry's remit; but if they are hostile then of course defending Japan is constitutionally allowed; in any case it's unlikely we would be able to comprehend the message they were beaming to us" and on and on. He was smirking incessantly. Nothing but a joke from beginning to end, as far as Ishiba's concerned.
Aceface
December 21, 2007
6:44 am
UFO over Japan?
This will do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7bMMuzUxu8&feature=related
tomojiro
December 21, 2007
7:30 am
That was apparantly a joke.

But maybe it went to far..., at least for some in the LDP.
Seems that Mr.Nikai is very unhappy with the recent UFO discussion.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071221/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_ufo
tomojiro
December 21, 2007
12:53 pm
Interesting news from Jiji-tsushin

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20071221-00000198-jij-pol

So actually that means that the SDF considered once seriously investigated how to defend an attack from Godzilla?
Younghusband
December 21, 2007
8:35 pm
The "science minister has also chimed in":http://www.japannewsreview.com/politics/politics/20071222page_id=3588. It seems this whole thing was kicked off by a "comment by the Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura":http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=200712/2007121800828&rel=y&g=pol a few days ago where he said he personally believes in UFOs despite a "government positioning paper released on the 18th":http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?key=&k=200712/2007121800447&rel=j&g=pol that claims the existence of UFOs as yet unfounded. The positioning paper was in response to a written question by Yamane Ryuji! Who is this guy and what is his deal with UFOs?
Joe
December 22, 2007
1:06 pm
A Raelian perhaps?
Younghusband
December 23, 2007
1:11 pm
Finally, the "Opposition asks Cabinet to stop dwelling on UFOs":http://tinyurl.com/2af6cg.
equinoXio » » Godzilla, los ovnis y el sistema defensivo japonés
December 25, 2007
7:00 am
[...] los ovnis", y que en su opinión "es posible" que los haya, mostró su preocupación por las implicaciones jurídicas que su ministerio tendría que enfrentar en caso de [...]
Beijing_Barbarian
December 26, 2007
2:39 pm
It's quite simple, they just need to call Ultra-man