The U.S. government's secret "alien files" might finally see the light of day. President Trump has ordered the Pentagon to begin releasing UFO-related classified documents, and former President Obama said "aliens are real," sending shockwaves around the world. And in Japan, legendary UFO researchers Junichi Yaoi and Junichiro Nirasawa are reportedly "warming up" for what could be the disclosure event of a lifetime. Was The X-Files not fiction after all?

Trump Directs Pentagon to Release UFO and Alien Files

On February 19, 2026, President Donald Trump made a striking announcement on his social media platform Truth Social. He stated that he would be directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other relevant agencies to begin identifying and releasing government files related to aliens, extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and UFOs.

Trump cited "tremendous interest" as the reason for this directive, adding that the files should include "any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters."

However, Trump stopped short of confirming whether actual classified documents would be released. The directive specifically calls for "beginning the process of identifying and releasing", meaning the specifics of what gets published, and when, remain to be seen.

The Catalyst: Obama's "Aliens Are Real" Remark

The backdrop to Trump's announcement involves a bombshell comment by former President Barack Obama. In a podcast interview released on February 14, Obama was asked point-blank whether aliens were real. His reply, "They are real. But I've never seen one", instantly went viral.

Obama later clarified on social media that he meant "the odds are good there's life out there" and that he had seen no evidence of alien existence during his time in office. But the damage, or intrigue, was done.

Trump seized on the moment, accusing Obama of revealing "classified information" that "he shouldn't have." When reporters asked Trump directly whether he believed aliens existed, he replied, "I don't know if they're real or not," and quipped that he might "get him out of trouble by declassifying."

A Brief History of America's UFO Investigations

The relationship between the U.S. government and UFOs has been a source of public fascination and distrust for decades.

It stretches back to the 1947 Roswell incident in New Mexico, where something crashed that the military initially described as a "flying disc" before changing the explanation to a weather balloon. The Air Force's Project Blue Book (1952–1969) investigated over 12,000 UFO sightings before concluding there was no national security threat.

The modern era of UFO interest reignited in 2017 when former Pentagon officials leaked authentic Navy footage of unexplained objects to The New York Times and Politico. The Pentagon confirmed the footage was real, sparking intense public scrutiny.

In May 2022, Congress held its first hearings on UFOs in over 50 years. Later that year, the Pentagon established the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) to centralize military UFO reporting. In 2023, three military veterans testified before a House committee, with former intelligence official David Grusch making the explosive claim that the government runs secret programs to retrieve crashed UFOs and reverse-engineer alien technology.

The Pentagon pushed back, releasing a 2024 report stating it had found "no evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity, or technology." Out of 1,652 UAP reports received by AARO as of 2024, many were attributed to balloons, drones, birds, weather phenomena, and satellites, though some cases remain unexplained.

Part of Trump's Broader Transparency Push

The UFO disclosure directive fits into a broader pattern of document releases under the Trump administration. The president has already authorized the release of previously withheld files related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and, starting in December 2024, documents from the investigation into financier Jeffrey Epstein.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump signaled a willingness to pursue UFO transparency, making this directive a partial fulfillment of that promise.

The announcement drew bipartisan praise. Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, who chairs a congressional UAP task force, wrote: "Looks like we are about to have a ton of hearings on this!" Democratic Senator John Fetterman told Fox News: "If he's going to release all of the X-Files, I think that could be a bipartisan thing."

Japan's Unique UFO Culture and Its Legendary Researchers

In Japan, the news sparked a wave of nostalgic and humorous reactions on social media. Comments like "Junichi Yaoi is warming up!" and "Nirasawa is on standby!" flooded timelines, references to two of Japan's most iconic UFO personalities.

Japan has its own rich and distinctive UFO culture, quite different from America's. Here are the key figures you need to know.

Junichi Yaoi, The Man Who Brought UFO Fever to Japan

Born in 1935 (currently 90 years old), Yaoi is a former Nippon Television (NTV) director and producer who almost singlehandedly created Japan's UFO boom in the 1970s through the 1990s.

He first featured UFOs on the legendary late-night show "11PM," then moved to the prime-time "Thursday Special" series. His "Junichi Yaoi UFO On-Location Investigation Series" (1989–1992) achieved over 20% viewership ratings, a phenomenon for a paranormal topic, and became a cultural milestone. Concepts like Area 51, the Roswell incident, and Majestic-12 (MJ-12) entered the Japanese mainstream largely through his programs.

Fun fact: The Japanese shorthand pronunciation "yūfō" (ユーフォー) for "UFO" was coined by Yaoi himself. He inserted a caption at the start of his show reading "Yūfō is the term for U-F-O", and the name stuck nationwide.

Junichiro Nirasawa, The Charismatic Debater of the Paranormal

Born in 1945 (currently 81 years old), Nirasawa is the president and editor-in-chief of Tama Publishing, a company specializing in paranormal and spiritual books. He has been a UFO and supernatural phenomena researcher since childhood, when he reportedly witnessed a UFO as an elementary school student.

For Japanese TV audiences, Nirasawa is best known for his annual appearances on "Beat Takeshi's Supernatural X-Files" (TV Asahi), where he has engaged in a legendary 30-plus-year debate with physicist Yoshihiko Otsuki (a plasma physics expert and professor emeritus at Waseda University) over whether UFOs and aliens are real. Nirasawa's passionate claims, including that "a Venusian's resident registration card has been found", and Otsuki's exasperated scientific rebuttals became a beloved year-end TV tradition in Japan.

Nirasawa even founded the "UFO Party" and ran for the Japanese upper house of parliament in 1995. He didn't win, but the attempt itself says something about Japan's playful relationship with the UFO topic.

Professor Yoshihiko Otsuki, The Skeptic Who Energized the Debate

Born in 1936, Otsuki is a professor emeritus at Waseda University specializing in plasma physics. Known as the "UFO denier" on Japanese TV, he has ironically done more to keep UFO discussions alive in Japan than most believers. His spirited clashes with Nirasawa entertained audiences for decades and demonstrated that healthy skepticism and passionate curiosity can coexist, often hilariously.

What Makes Japan's UFO Culture Special

Unlike in the United States, where UFOs are often discussed through the lens of government conspiracies and national security threats, Japan has traditionally approached the subject with a sense of wonder and entertainment. Variety shows, the legendary occult magazine "Mu" (published since 1979 and still running), and annual paranormal TV specials have turned UFOs into a cultural touchstone that's more "fascinating" than "frightening."

Japan even has its own proto-UFO story from the Edo period (1603–1868). The "Utsuro-bune" (hollow ship) legend, documented in multiple texts from 1803, describes a disc-shaped vessel that washed ashore in Hitachi Province (present-day Ibaraki Prefecture) with a strangely dressed woman inside. International UFO researchers have taken note of this 200-year-old Japanese "close encounter."

What Happens Next, Will the Truth Actually Come Out?

Trump's directive has been met with both excitement and skepticism. Supporters see it as a potential watershed moment for government transparency on one of the most persistent mysteries of our time. Critics argue it may be political theater, a crowd-pleasing gesture with little substance.

Key uncertainties remain: the scope and content of the files to be released is still unknown, "identifying and releasing" does not guarantee full declassification, and the Pentagon's own 2024 report concluded there is no evidence of extraterrestrial life.

That said, the directive aligns with bipartisan congressional pressure for UAP transparency, suggesting it may have real institutional momentum behind it. The world will be watching closely to see what, if anything, actually emerges.

In Japan, the reaction has been characteristically warm and curious. The fact that names like Junichi Yaoi and Junichiro Nirasawa are trending proves that for the Japanese public, UFOs aren't a source of fear, they're a source of wonder.

How does your country talk about UFOs and aliens? Do you think your government is hiding something? We'd love to hear about UFO culture where you live!

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