Japanese Authorities Stunned by Mysterious Object on Beach Fueling UFO Speculation - Knewz

An unusual iron metal ball 5 feet wide had been spotted on a beach in Hamamatsu City, Japan, that week. Many had speculated it might have been a nuclear bomb or a mysterious UFO-like object that terrified the public. A local beach runner told NHK, as reported by The Guardian, "It had been there for a month. I tried to push it, but it wouldn’t budge." Officials had immediately investigated the hollow, sand-colored ball and dismissed the bomb theory.

After the experts had joined the investigation, many had varied opinions about the ball. Professor Mark Inall, an oceanographer at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, told the BBC, "It's very recognizable. We use them to keep instruments floating in the ocean." He added, "It could be confused with a World War II mine, but those would have spikes sticking out of them."

A 1.5 meter sphere appeared on Tuesday at Enshuhama Beach in Hamamatsu, Japan. Police surrounded the area and cordoned off a perimeter of 200 meters until the type of metallic material was identified. The country's Self Defense Forces were called inpic.twitter.com/3rHbqtjgRM

Knewz.com noted that after the report of the finding, the Hamamatsu Nishi Police Department described the metal object as brown and rusty. Additionally, it had two hook-like protrusions that resembled eyes, but no verified information was available. The released images had also shown that some parts of it had been buried in the sand. However, to ensure public safety, police covered the object with barricades and did not allow anyone to get within several hundred meters of it. The restriction had been removed at 4 PM, but officials continued to keep onlookers away.

This metal ball had been found amid rising tensions as North Korea had launched a long-range missile into Japan's waters the previous Saturday. Later that Monday, two more North Korean missiles had been fired into the Sea of Japan. This led the Japanese government to speculate about the ball's connection to some Chinese spy balloons. After the discovery, Japanese and Chinese officials discussed public security, focusing on the Chinese surveillance balloons. During their meeting, Japan raised concerns about the balloons, which had been spotted over its territory since 2019, as reported by CBS News.

A mysterious metal ball spotted on a beach in Hamamatsu City this week prompted local police to scramble the bomb squad. A careful examination revealed it is not a threat -- but shed no light on what it actually is. pic.twitter.com/ytClWsP0bw

The defense ministers of the two countries had met for their first discussion about security in four years. They had agreed to set up a communication hotline that spring.

Regarding spy balloons, suspicious objects have been reported around the world. Earlier that month, a balloon had been spotted over Montana and had later been shot down off the coast of South Carolina, landing in the Atlantic Ocean. Many other such balloons had been reported, and the Pentagon had mentioned that one shot down earlier had been part of a larger Chinese surveillance balloon program.

Although this iron ball had not been found floating, its presence on the sand had raised concerns about unidentified objects. The ball had been removed, according to officials. One local, speaking with Japanese media, had said, "I think everyone in Hamamatsu City was worried and curious about what it was, but I'm relieved that the situation is over."

Others had shared their thoughts on social media. One person tweeted, "I can't believe officials from a country surrounded by the ocean didn't recognize a buoy." Another had tweeted, "OMG! It's a steel-mooring buoy, people. I'm embarrassed to be Japanese."