NextSharkNextShark.com

Godzilla egg? Large, mysterious metal sphere beached in Japan fuels wild speculation

Godzilla egg? Large, mysterious metal sphere beached in Japan fuels wild speculation

A local man who frequently runs on the beach was surprised at the sudden attention regarding the ball, claiming it had been there for a month

February 22, 2023
SHARE
A giant metal ball measuring 5 feet wide has washed up in Hamamatsu City, Japan, leaving authorities questioning its origin.  
Earlier this week, authorities in Hamamatsu City were notified of the mysterious giant ball having washed up on Enshuhama beach. 
After shutting off public access to the area, a bomb disposal squad was sent to investigate whether the object could be a sea mine. Upon inspection using x-ray technology, they found that the interior of the metal ball was hollow. 
View post on Twitter
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter

A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.

Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.

Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.

The exterior of the ball appears to be orange with darker patches of brown, likely caused by rust. A raised handle on the object’s exterior produced the theory that it is a mooring buoy that came loose from a rope and floated to shore. 
However, metallic buoys are not typically hollow as they are usually filled with materials that help them stay afloat. 
News of the mysterious ball spread online, generating theories that the metal ball could be a “dragon ball” from the manga “Dragon Ball” or even a “Godzilla egg.”
Others speculated that the object originated from space. 
While there were no signs that the unidentified object was a surveillance device dispatched by China, there were still concerns about any connections with the country amid news earlier this month of multiple Chinese spy balloons spotted around the globe, including in Japan. 
A local man who frequently runs on Enshuhama beach was surprised at the sudden attention regarding the ball, claiming it had been there for a month. “I tried to push it, but it wouldn’t budge,” the man told NHK.
Masaki Matsukawa, head of the Shizuoka Prefectural Hamamatsu Civil Engineering Office’s coastal maintenance division, told NHK that the ball’s identity is still unknown.
“We have not been able to determine what kind of debris it is, but it has been confirmed that it is safe, so we will dispose of it in the same way as normal floating debris,” Matsukawa said. 
The ball was scheduled to be cleared from the beach on Wednesday.
MOST READ
    HAPPENING NOW
      Ines Shin

      Ines Shin is a contributor at NextShark

      SHARE THIS ARTICLE:

      RELATED STORIES FROM NEXTSHARK

      Support
      NextShark's
      Journalism

      Many people might not know this, but NextShark is a small media startup that runs on no outside funding or loans, and with no paywalls or subscription fees, we rely on help from our community and readers like you.

      Everything you see today is built by Asians, for Asians to help amplify our voices globally and support each other. However, we still face many difficulties in our industry because of our commitment to accessible and informational Asian news coverage.

      We hope you consider making a contribution to NextShark so we can continue to provide you quality journalism that informs, educates, and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for supporting NextShark and our community.

      © 2023 NextShark, Inc. All rights reserved.