(RoyalPatriot.com )- A huge hollow iron ball was discovered lying on a beach in Japan last week and local officials are uncertain of its origin.
The large spherical object, with a diameter measuring approximately 5 feet, was discovered by a jogger on Enshuhama Beach in the Japanese coastal city of Hamamatsu. The jogger, suspecting it was a bomb, then reported it to the police, according to the Japanese outlet NHK.
According to CBS News, police closed off the beach while they inspected the object using an x-ray to determine whether or not it was a bomb. And while they ruled out an explosive device, officials don’t seem to know what the sand-colored, hollow orb might be.
One local who spoke to NHK said he was surprised by all the attention the orb was getting. He told NHK that he often jogged along the beach and the orb had been there for about a month, adding that he had once tried to push it, but the orb wouldn’t budge.
NHK released a video clip on Twitter showing police examining the mysterious orb:
https://twitter.com/NHKWORLD_News/status/1628008229832720384
Local officials suspect that the object may be some kind of buoy.
Meanwhile, social media erupted with speculation over what the object could be, with some jokingly suggesting that it was a “Godzilla egg” or even the “Dragon Ball” from Japan’s popular media franchise.
Unsurprisingly, some social media users also suggested that the orb could be extraterrestrial in origin. Meanwhile, others floated the possibility that the large metal sphere could have been used as part of an anti-submarine net during the Second World War.
Masaki Matsukawa, the head of the Shizuoka Prefectural Hamamatsu Civil Engineering Office’s coast maintenance division, told NHK that thus far, they have not been able to determine what the object was for. He said that since the orb is safe, it will be disposed of in the same manner they dispose of all floating debris.
