Project 10073 Record Card — Ashiya AB, Japan, 2 August 1952

On 2 August 1952, at approximately 2110 hours, Staff Sergeant J.N. Grooms and his wife observed an unidentified flying object at Ashiya Air Base, Japan. The object was described as a 'white bulb-type' object, approximately seven inches in diameter, which appeared suddenly above the southern horizon. It traveled across the base at an estimated altitude of 1000 feet before disappearing over the hills to the northwest. The witnesses reported that the object left a 'rose colored trail' and made no sound during its one-second duration. An investigation by the 403rd Troop Carrier Group concluded that the sighting was likely caused by fireworks being displayed in the town of Ashiya at that time. The report notes that weather conditions were clear with scattered clouds and that no jet aircraft were in the area. The intelligence officer, 1st Lt. Edwin A. Blasyk, expressed skepticism regarding the witnesses' ability to interpret the phenomenon, suggesting that the observers were not technically trained and that the current radio and newspaper publicity regarding UFOs may have influenced their perception. A separate, unreported sighting by a control tower operator on 29 July 1952 was also mentioned, which was dismissed by his associates as truck light reflections on the tower windows.