Godzilla egg? Dragon Ball?: Mysterious sphere washed up on Japan beach
Residents and authorities in Japan are baffled after a mysterious large metal sphere washed up ashore earlier this week.
The sphere, measuring about 1.5m wide, was spotted in Hamamatsu, a coastal city in the island of Honshu.
It was spotted by an unidentified local man, who alerted the police after noticing the unusual object on Enshuhama Beach.
Authorities arrived at the beach and the bomb squad was called to investigate the sphere.
Japanese public broadcast NHK released a footage of two officials on the beach looking at the russet sphere, which appears to be rusty and made of metal.
Authorities have cordoned off the area and conducted X-rays of the interior of the sphere. They said that the sphere is not a bomb and does not pose a threat. However, its origin remains unknown and will be removed from the beach soon.
The Guardian reported that photographs have been sent to the Japanese self-defence forces and coast guard for further examination.
An unidentified runner told NHK that he was surprised by the commotion, as the sphere had been on the beach for quite some time.
“That ball has been there for a month. I tried to push it, but it wouldn’t budge,” said the man.
The sphere has been dubbed “Godzilla egg”, “mooring bouy” and “from outer space” by locals in the city. Others said it resembled something from the popular Japanese manga series Dragon Ball and believed it was an unidentified flying object that had fallen from the sky.
The TV footage of the sphere has also prompted speculation on social media, after Japan said it “strongly suspected” several Chinese spy balloons had been spotted over its territory in recent years.
On Wednesday, Japan expressed concern to China about suspected surveillance balloons spotted over its skies at least three times since 2019 - an allegation it first made last week. Beijing denies claims of espionage.
Both countries’ defence ministers met on Wednesday, in the first senior bilateral security dialogue in four years. Both sides agreed to work towards launching a communications hotline this spring.
The discovery also comes amid identified objects spotted since the US shot down a spy balloon earlier this month. The balloon was spotted over Montana and raised concerns as the US government tracked its path over the country. It was shot down off the coast of South Carolina and recovered in the Atlantic Ocean.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
