US radars in Japan track fast unidentified targets; Air Force intelligence later cites them
July 1, 1947 – September 16, 1947 · Chitose (Hokkaido) and Fukuoka, Japan · Sighting · Primary document linked
Air Force files list three radar intercepts of unidentified targets over Japan in 1947. On 1 July a GCA radar at Chitose, Hokkaido picked up a target at 16 miles moving faster than 500 mph that split into two, each larger than a P-51. On 28 August an MEW radar at Fukuoka picked up a target at 26 miles that climbed away to 54 miles before fading. On 16 September the same Fukuoka radar tracked a target in from 89 to 19 miles at 840-900 mph; the file says the speed is believed accurate because a good crew measured it over a 70-mile track, and that the fade at short range suggested 'good radar evasion technique'. An Air Materiel Command file of 1947-48 lists all three, and Air Intelligence Division Study No. 203 of 10 December 1948 cites the first and third as radar intercepts pointing to unusual air activity.
Era: Flying discs and the first inquiries · Threads: Military and police witnesses, Intelligence and the FBI
Why it matters (2/5)
Radar reports cited as examples in Air Force intelligence studies of 1947-48; no separate investigation or wider attention.
Caveats
The files give only these short summaries. No radar film, crew statements or follow-up investigation is in the releases, and none of the files explains the targets. The three documents repeat the same reports, so they are not independent confirmations.
Sources
- Air Materiel Command Report on UFOs 1947 1948 (DOW-UAP-D100) (U.S. Department of War), primary
- Analysis of Flying Object Incidents in the US 1948 (DOW-UAP-D093) (U.S. Department of War), primary
- Analysis of Flying Object Incidents in the US 1949 (DOW-UAP-D094) (U.S. Department of War), primary