Various speculations circulated and residents were caught in confusion as they did not know the identity of the large iron ball washed up on a beach in Japan.
On the 23rd (local time), the BBC and CNN reported that local officials had mobilized a crane to remove a mysteriously large iron ball that was found on a beach in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan and aroused curiosity.
An official from Mr. Hamamatsu said, “We will store the iron ball for a certain period of time and then dispose of it,” but many people questioned why the official did not reveal the exact identity of the iron ball.
Since the beginning of this week, all sorts of speculations have been circulating about the mysterious iron ball that appeared on the beach, including that it is a Godzilla egg, a mooring buoy, and that it came from outer space, and the police stepped in.
Police even mobilized an explosive ordnance squad to investigate the iron ball on the beach.
Authorities blocked access around the iron ball and even did an X-ray inspection, but other than that it was not dangerous, they could not reveal the identity of the iron ball.
“All the citizens of Hamamatsu were curious about the identity of the iron ball and worried about it, but now it is relieved that it has been removed,” a government official told local media.
However, social media continued to question why the government did not explain the iron ball’s identity.
A private technical research institute in Hamamatsu City said, “The iron ball appears to be a buoy made in a foreign country.”
Professor Mark Inall, an oceanographer at the Scottish Institute of Marine Research, said he immediately identified the ball as soon as he saw the picture.
He said, “It is a buoy used to float various devices in the sea,” and is often found on the Scottish coast.
He added, “It can be confused with mines used in World War II, but the mines have sharp nails protruding.”
As much as the iron ball itself, the reaction of Japanese authorities aroused curiosity, and experts analyzed that there was also an effect of missiles recently launched by North Korea in the background.
Last Saturday, an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launched by North Korea in protest of the ROK-US joint military drills landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and on Monday this week, a ballistic missile was launched into the East Sea.
Also on Wednesday, a security meeting with China was held in Tokyo for the first time in four years due to the Chinese spy balloon controversy.
It is believed that as these geopolitical events continued, security anxiety spread in Japanese society despite the unknown iron attack.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.