The more detailed reports of the "Japanese incident" relate that "a politician" has demanded an investigation of the "thousands of reports from Japanese military and airline pilots" of UFOs.

The government spokesman replied that there have been NO OFFICIAL REPORTS BY ANY JAPANESE MILITARY OR CIVILIAN PILOTS OF ANY UFOs IN JAPANESE AIRSPACE for several years, by way of implying that there really was nothing to investigate.

A "tag" to the comment was in the sense of, as I read it:

"But yessiree, by golly you betcha I for shore do really by gosh believe that them things are really by gosh out there fer sure."

In other words, sarcasm - as clearly and plainly as it is permissible for an "official spokesman" to convey "BULLSHIT" in "politically correct" diplomatese referring to another politician.

Translations of what actually was said do vary slightly depending on the source; but from all sources in which an apparently "literal" description of the event are given, the clear appearance - to me at least - was the intention to clearly imply an "absence of actual belief" on the part of the official who has been widely MISQUOTED.

Of course I could be misinterpreting the translations I've seen; but despite strong evidence to the contrary for the general population, I have met one or two Japanese who do seem to have at least a rudimentary, if a bit puerile, sense of humor.

John