Mysterious ‘dragon ball’ found on Japanese beach

A huge iron ball that washed up on a local beach in a coastal town in Japan has left police and locals confused. For now, authorities have no clue what it exactly is except the fact that it is not something that would explode.

Since it washed up on Enshu beach in Hamamatsu which is a city on the country's Pacific coast, the sphere with a diameter of around 1.5 metres, has been the subject of frantic rumours, local media reported.

When experts employed X-ray technology to investigate the object and discovered that it was hollow, they were able to calm down and assuage their concerns that it might be a wayward mine.

It was also clarified that the metal sphere has nothing to do with China or neighbouring North Korea.

Two raised grips on the ball's surface suggest it must have been attached to something else. This led to an even more boring explanation: that it is just a mooring buoy that must have accidentally come loose and floated off.

A local woman spotted the ball laying on the shore earlier this week. As per Asahi TV, she was taking a stroll when she discovered that the orangey-brown sphere was just a few metres from the shore, laying on the sand. 

The orange and brown streaks on the ball seem to be rust but authorities are still unsure what exactly the object is and where it came from. As a protective measure, explosive experts were invited who visited in protective clothing to investigate the ball.

The Japanese coast guard and self-defence forces are reviewing photos for additional investigation.

Interestingly, a local jogger told the official broadcaster NHK that the ball had been there for a month and he had even tried to push it back into the ocean. However, the heavy ball was immovable.

Japan being a geek nation, some people thought that the object looked like something from the well-known manga series Dragon Ball. Others thought it was UFO that crashed to the ground.

“It could be from outer space,” a user said.

“I’ve already had enough ridiculousnesses for 2023, thank you. Push it back in the water,” an annoyed user replied.

After Japan announced that it “seriously suspected” Chinese spy balloons over its territory, the video sparked a plethora of rumours and caused panic.