The US government has released a map that tracks reports of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and it revealed an unlikely part of the world where sightings are prevalent.

The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), which is part of the US Office of the Secretary of Defence, recently unveiled its new website which is dedicated to declassified information about UFOs, which government officials in the US prefer to call UAPs.

Tracking UFOs reporting trends from 1996 to 2023, it has been revealed that Japan is among the “hotspots” for seeing unidentified flying objects, along with both the east coast and west coast of the US and the Middle East.

The sightings are around western and southern Japan, near Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the two cities where the US detonated atomic bombs, killing hundreds of thousands of people.

Japan’s ‘UFO town’

In 2020, Japan’s Self-Defence Forces (SDF) brought in new requirements for its members.

The then defence minister Taro Kono ordered SDF members to photograph or video any unexplained phenomena in the sky.

The Japan Times reported in 2020 there had not been any known cases of SDF members encountering UFOs, and the new protocol came shortly after the US established the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena task force.

However, there is a rural town in Japan that has dubbed itself the “home to aliens”.

Iinomachi, part of the city of Fukushima, is home to the International UFO Lab and earlier this year it released several images of “probable UFOs”.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the lab claimed earlier this year it has received close to 500 reports of UFOs.

About 30,000 people travel to Iinomachi every year, where about 5000 people live.

Even if tourists don’t spot UFOs, there are plenty of alien-themed structures like bus stops to enjoy.

All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) will be releasing declassified information about UAPs.

UFO transparency  

AARO was set up to address UFOs by “using a rigorous scientific framework and a data-driven approach”.

There are also a few other takeaways from the department’s report.

According to reporting collected from 1996 to 2023, most sightings of UFOs happen when they are flying at a lower altitude than commercial aircraft and weather balloons.

The majority of the UAPs that have been reported are round in shape and range in size from one to four metres.

The UAPs are also typically white, silver or translucent.

AARO’s website will continue to publish information, photos and videos on “resolved UAP cases as they are declassified and approved for public release”.

Although the study of mysterious aircraft or objects often evokes talk of aliens, in the US, Democrats and Republicans in recent years have pushed for more research as a national security matter due to concerns that sightings observed by pilots may be tied to US adversaries.