( CNN ) The classic video game `` Space Invaders '' was developed in Japan back in the late 1970 's -- and now their real-life counterparts are the topic of an earnest political discussion in Japan 's corridors of power . Luckily , Japanese can sleep soundly in their beds tonight as the government 's top military official earnestly revealed that the country 's Air Self Defense Force ( ASDF ) had never encountered an extraterrestrial unidentified flying object . Responding to a query from flamboyant former wrestler-turned-lawmaker Antonio Inoki , Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told the Diet , Japan 's parliament , that his jets had , to date , never come across any UFOs from outer space . `` When the Air Self Defense Force detects indications of an unidentified flying object that could violate our country 's airspace , it scrambles fighter jets if necessary and makes visual observation , '' Nakatani said . He continued : `` They sometimes find birds or flying objects other than aircraft but I do n't know of a case of finding an unidentified flying object believed to have come over from anywhere other than Earth . '' Inoki has appeared in the U.S.-based WWE -- which describes him as `` among the most respected men in sports-entertainment '' -- and is the founder of the New Japan Pro Wrestling organization . He entered Japan 's Upper House for a second stint in politics in 2013 . He also famously fought Muhammad Ali in 1976 , in one of the first-ever mixed-discipline matches , which would later pave the way for today 's wildly popular Mixed Martial Arts contests . Before his return to politics he was a regular fixture on Japanese TV variety shows and has promoted a slew of products , from hot sauce to banks . The maverick politician also traveled to Iraq in 1990 to try to secure the release of Japanese hostages , and has more recently attempted to replicate former NBA star Dennis Rodman 's `` basketball diplomacy '' by staging a wrestling tournament in North Korea . He reportedly converted to Islam in the 1990s , although he says he practices both Islam and Buddhism . The lawmaker , who is universally known in Japan for his colossal chin and once-ever-present red scarf -- these days often replaced with a red necktie -- as much as for his political achievements , had asked a Upper House Budget Committee meeting if aircraft were ever scrambled to meet extraterrestrial threats , and if research was being done into alien visitors , prompting Nakatani 's response . Inoki also claims to have seen a UFO with his own eyes , but admitted that he did n't know personally if aliens existed . The exchange was n't the first time Japanese politicians have discussed the implications of visitors from another planet . In 2007 then-Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba pondered the legal ramifications , under Japan 's pacifist constitution , of a defense against an invasion from outer space . READ MORE : Japan unveils Izumo , its largest warship since World War II .
Japan 's top military official earnestly stated that the country 's special Defense Force ( sts ) had never encountered a UFO . Celebrity politician and former president nak Inoki had submitted a question regarding extraterrestrials to a government committee .