According to Gemini AI by Google

The 2011 Fukushima disaster led to an increase in

Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) sightings in the surrounding region, an area already known as a Japanese "UFO hotspot". These sightings have contributed to a popular theory that UAPs are attracted to, and potentially monitor, human nuclear activity. 

Key Details

• Increased Sightings: Following the March 11, 2011, earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent nuclear accident, many residents and a local monk reported seeing an unusual number of bright lights or objects in the sky around the damaged power plant.

• "UFO Town": The nearby town of Iinomachi, part of Fukushima City, has long embraced its reputation as a "UFO town," with a history of sightings dating back centuries. It is home to the International UFO Lab and a UFO-themed museum, which have received and analyzed hundreds of reports and images.

• Theories on UAP Behavior: Observers and researchers, featured in a Netflix docuseries, theorize the UAPs came to "readjust the flood of radioactive energy" or monitor the situation. This aligns with a broader, long-standing belief in UAP research that such phenomena are frequently observed near nuclear sites globally, going back decades.

• Official Investigations: The prevalence of UAPs in Japan has prompted government action. In May 2024, a bipartisan group of over 80 Japanese legislators met to form a body to investigate increased UAP sightings, specifically citing national security concerns around nuclear reactor sites. The U.S. All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) previously designated the region stretching from western Japan to China as a UAP "hotspot" based on data from 1996-2023. 

Scientific research has proposed that some UAPs might be naturally occurring, plasma-like entities ("plasmoids") that are attracted to strong electromagnetic fields, lightning, and other sources of energy, which could account for some sightings around nuclear facilities and thunderstorms

​

------ ------ ------ 

​

According to Perplexity AI 

​

There is no credible evidence that unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) influenced or mitigated the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, but Fukushima has become a prominent case in modern “UFOs near nuclear sites” narratives and popular media.

​

What happened at Fukushima

• On 11 March 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Japan’s east coast triggered a 14–15 m tsunami that struck the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

• The tsunami flooded emergency generators, cut off power to cooling systems, and led to core meltdowns in three reactors and large radioactive releases over several days.

Claims of UAPs around Fukushima

• In UFO and UAP communities, there are recurring claims of orb-like lights or craft seen in the region before or after the accident, often circulated through videos and forum discussions; these are anecdotal and not part of any official investigation record.

• Some witnesses and commentators have speculated that such objects were “monitoring” or “fixing” radiation, including stories about beams of light directed toward the plant, but these accounts remain unverified and are treated as personal belief rather than documented fact.

 

Nuclear sites and UFO lore

• The idea that UAPs appear around nuclear facilities predates Fukushima and includes stories about nuclear power plants, weapons test sites, and missile silos in several countries; researchers and journalists have used Fukushima as one example in this broader pattern.

• A Japanese Netflix-linked documentary episode, “Lights Over Fukushima,” amplifies local testimonies such as a Buddhist monk’s belief that multiple UFOs came to “adjust” or interact with radioactive energy after the accident, again presented as interpretation rather than verifiable physical data.

 

Official stance in Japan

• Official investigations into Fukushima by Japanese and international bodies focus on seismic events, plant design, human error, and regulatory culture, and do not mention UAPs as any factor in the cause or response.

• Japan’s Ministry of Defense later issued general protocols for Self-Defense Forces to document any future UFO/UAP encounters, but these procedures were prompted by global UAP debate and U.S. releases, not by any Fukushima-related case.

 

Fukushima and UFO culture in Japan

• Fukushima Prefecture now also hosts a small “International UFO Lab” that collects and analyzes public photos and videos of alleged UFOs across Japan; it has released a few images it deems “highly likely” UFOs, but these are broad-interest cases, not specific evidence tied to the 2011 accident.

• Overall, Fukushima’s role in UAP discourse is cultural and speculative: it sits at the intersection of nuclear risk, disaster trauma, and UFO folklore, rather than documented aerospace or nuclear-incident data

​​

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 

​

​