The sphere, measured about 1.5 metres in diameter
Residents and authorities in Japan have been left baffled by a mysterious iron ball that was washed up on a local beach. The officials sealed off a beach to investigate the sphere of unknown origin.
According to a report by Asahi News, the mysterious ball was reported by a local resident in Hamamatsu, a southern coastal city about 155 miles from Tokyo, who called the police just before 9 a.m. saying "a large round object was washed up on the beach".
The sphere, measured about 1.5 metres in diameter, the local media reported. Authorities feared that it could be a stray mine were dismissed after experts used X-ray technology to examine the object's interior and found that it was hollow, the Guardian reported. Footage of the officials dressed in protective gear also surfaced on social media.
The restrictions were lifted at around 4 pm.
Vice News reported that the object which has a protrusion that would allow it to be hooked onto something closely resembles a mooring buoy.
The sighting sparked a brief flurry of attention on TV in the wake of the US shooting down a Chinese spy balloon.
Photographs have been sent to the Japanese self-defence forces and coast guard for further examination.