The Metallic Spindle of Tokyo Bay: A Deep Dive into a Compelling Japanese UFO Case

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In a field often dominated by blurry photographs and frantic eyewitness accounts, a robotic observatory in Japan has provided something rare: a clear, multi-frame recording of a bizarre, unidentified craft over Tokyo Bay. The object, a dark gray, metallic spindle, was captured by an automated system, allowing for a level of detailed analysis that makes this one of Japan’s most scientifically intriguing modern UFO cases.

The Sighting: An Inverted Teardrop in the Sky

The event occurred on January 15, 2017, at 4:17 PM, as the sun began to set over Tokyo. The footage was captured by SID-1 (Space Intrusion Detection System-1), a platform operated by the Space Phenomena Observatory Center (SPOC). The video shows a strange, spindle-shaped object—like an inverted teardrop—moving steadily across the sky.

The object’s journey was tracked frame by frame. It appeared to materialize suddenly, or at least grew large enough for the system’s 50-pixel detection threshold to trigger a recording. It moved smoothly across the frame, at times reflecting the setting sun on its lower-left surface, before disappearing from view. Its color was a dark, metallic gray, and its surface appeared perfectly smooth.

The Investigation: A Meticulous Process of Elimination

What makes this case so compelling is the rigorous scientific analysis conducted by SPOC, which systematically ruled out every known conventional explanation.

・Natural Objects & Debris: The object was not a balloon, weather sonde, or piece of debris. Meteorological data confirmed that the wind direction at the time was completely different from the object’s flight path. It was moving against the wind, under its own power.

・Birds or Insects: The object’s clean, symmetrical spindle shape, metallic sheen, and lack of any wings, legs, or appendages conclusively ruled out any biological explanation.

・Conventional Aircraft: This is where the investigation becomes definitive. Using flight tracking services, researchers confirmed that no airplanes, helicopters, or any other registered aircraft were present in that specific location and direction at that time. The object’s shape also bore no resemblance to any known drone or airship.

・Optical Illusions: The footage was confirmed to be authentic, with no signs of synthesis or editing. The possibility of lens flare was dismissed, and since the camera was fixed, the movement was entirely from the object itself.

After comparing the object to their extensive database of Identified Flying Objects (IFOs), the researchers found no matches. This was something entirely new.

The Verdict: A Solid, Unexplained Craft

Advanced image processing revealed even more startling details. 3D topographical plots and contour line analysis confirmed that the object was a solid, three-dimensional craft with a uniformly rounded, smooth surface and a sharp peak. It was not a cloud, a reflection, or a trick of the light; it was a tangible object present in the sky.

With every conventional explanation meticulously debunked through data-driven analysis, the conclusion is inescapable. The dark gray, spindle-shaped object recorded over Tokyo Bay was a genuine Unidentified Flying Object. It remains a silent, metallic enigma—a powerful piece of evidence that suggests our skies are home to mysteries far stranger and more sophisticated than we can currently explain.

A portion of the footage is also available on YouTube.

文＝Hiroshi Kitajima

Hiroshi Kitajimaの記事一覧はこちら

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