A mysterious large, metal ball has washed up on a beach in Japan, baffling the authorities and residents.

The object’s appearance on the coastline of Hamamatsu city prompted the police to scramble the bomb squad, but close examination showed there was no immediate threat.

X-ray technology revealed the ball to be hollow as fears it was a stray mine were quickly dismissed.

The ball has a diameter of about 1.5 metres and washed up on Enshu beach, according to local media.

A member of the public reported the object, which led to explosives experts in protective clothing carrying out their assessment while a large surrounding area was closed off.

Thought to be iron, the ball has a rusty appearance and there are two raised handles on the surface, suggesting it is normally hooked to something.

The Japanese armed forces and coastguard officials are examining images of the ball.

Speculation on social media suggested the ball had come from space or asked whether it was another type of surveillance balloon.

Read more:
Japan considers raising age of consent from 13 to 16
Japan space agency abandons rocket launch moments before lift-off

It comes after the US shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon on 4 February off the South Carolina coast.

US defence officials believed the balloon had been launched as part of an operation to spy on sensitive military sites.

China insisted the balloon was for meteorological and other scientific purposes and had been blown off its course.

Three further objects were then shot down over North America.

Later, US officials said they appeared to be unrelated to “intelligence collection against the United States of any kind”.

Related posts:

Bin busy: Why one lady has been taking out her bins in fancy dress for almost a year Australia to kill US racing pigeon which survived 8,000-mile trip across Pacific Feather in the cap for world’s oldest bird as she hatches chick aged 70 Dulux apologises after making fun of Spurs – immediately after being named their new sponsor Doctors figure out why woman was lactating from her armpit Well-preserved lion cub found in permafrost lived 28,000 years ago White stag shot dead after running wild around Merseyside streets Religious artwork removed after local priest and businessman found among holy images Otters killing expensive pet fish in garden ponds, police warn ‘A total stinker’: Rare orchid smells like dead rats and rotting cabbage New York seeks ‘somewhat bloodthirsty’ rat czar – with salary up to £138k Where are we when we’re at our angriest? Tweet location study reveals trends