ACUFO:

ACUFO is my comprehensive catalog of cases of encounters between aircraft and UFOs, whether they are "explained" or "unexplained".

The ACUFO catalog is made of case files with a case number, summary, quantitative information (date, location, number of witnesses...), classifications, all sources mentioning the case with their references, a discussion of the case in order to evaluate its causes, and a history of the changes made to the file.

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Japan or the Pacific, between 1940 and 1945:

Case number:

ACUFO-1940-00-00-JAPAN-4

Summary:

This photo appeared on many "UFO" websites, and on social networks, in the years 2000 - 2020, without ever having a relevant caption other than claims that it is a photo of a "Foo-Fighter" above a Japanese "Lily" bomber.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	Between 1940 and 1945
Time:	Day.
Duration:	?
First known report date:	1970
Reporting delay:	Decades.

Geographical data:

Country:	Japan or the Pacific
State/Department:	?
City:	?

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses:	0
Number of known witnesses:	0
Number of named witnesses:	0

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	Web and social networks.
Visibility conditions:	Day.
UFO observed:	?
UFO arrival observed:	?
UFO departure observed:	?
UFO action:	?
Witnesses action:	?
Photographs:	Yes.
Sketch(s) by witness(es):	No.
Sketch(es) approved by witness(es):	No.
Witness(es) feelings:	?
Witnesses interpretation:	?

Classifications:

Sensors:	[ ] Visual: [ ] Airborne radar: [ ] Directional ground radar: [ ] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages:
Hynek:	DD
Armed / unarmed:	Armed, 3 machine guns.
Reliability 1-3:	1
Strangeness 1-3:	1
ACUFO:	Probable photo artefact.

Sources:

[Ref. www1:] ON THE WEB:

The photo never has any relevant caption; it appears on the Web in the 2000 - 2020, mostly on social networks, with titles claiming it is a photo of a "Foo-Fighter" above a Japanese bomber "Lily".

Aircraft information:

The plane on the image is a Kawasaki Ki-48 Japanese light bomber, Army Type 99 (photo below). It was used during World War II from late 1940 and on, and its Allied reporting nickname was "Lily".

Discussion:

The light spot in the photo could be anything. No sighting report linked to the image exists.

As with the other photos of alleged "foo-fighters" near Japanese WWII planes, it seems likely that this too came from a publication by a Japanese group of UFO and aliens enthusiasts, the "Cosmic Brotherhood Association" (C.B.A).

According to the American ufologist Jan Aldrich, a Japanese ufologist familiar with these photos, Jun-Tchi Takanashi, indicated that all the photographs of "Foo-fighters" of the C.B.A. were "false", "without origin or pedigree."

My opinion is that the Cosmic Brotherhood Association probably found the photo in some Japanese aviation book or newspaper or magazine, saw the light spot and decided it must be a UFO.

Evaluation:

Probable photo artefact.

Sources references:

* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.

[www1] * Photo published on the Web, on numerous "UFO" Websites and social networks, 2000 - 2020.

File history:

Authoring:

Main author:	Patrick Gross
Contributors:	None
Reviewers:	None
Editor:	Patrick Gross

Changes history:

Version:	Create/changed by:	Date:	Description:
0.1	Patrick Gross	May 11, 2024	Creation, [www1].
1.0	Patrick Gross	May 11, 2024	First published.

This page was last updated on May 11, 2024.