Japanese scientists have formed an association to search for extraterrestrial life, hoping to advance space research and help humanity re-examine Earth.
Misato Observatory in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan - Photo: KYODO
According to Kyodo News on May 3rd, Japanese astronomers have just established the country's first organization dedicated to searching for extraterrestrial life.
The SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Association of Japan was founded in April 2026 by Shinya Narusawa (61 years old), an astrophysicist at Hyogo University, along with about 10 other astronomy researchers.
The research team plans to conduct radio observations of the constellation Sagittarius using telescopes at the Misato Observatory in Wakayama Prefecture in August 2027.
The event was held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the "Wow!" signal – an extremely powerful radio signal from space recorded by Ohio State University (USA) in 1977. Researchers believe this signal has the potential to be a message from an extraterrestrial civilization.
Through its official website, the SETI Association of Japan stated: "We call on the world to conduct focused observation of the signal source."
In the future, the organization aims to build a domestic antenna network to enable continuous monitoring and improve the reliability of the search operation.
Shinya Narusawa told Kyodo News : "We want to build a research network in Japan on a scale comparable to that of the United States."
I hope people will recognize our efforts in searching for extraterrestrial civilizations, and that this may also encourage humanity to reconsider its perspective on Earth, where wars continue.”