Local police and a bomb squad investigated the discovery, confirming through X-rays that the sphere appears to be hollow. Local officials said the object was not a threat and may be a type of buoy.
But news of the strange object has since circulated online, leading to a flurry of speculation that the metal ball could be a "Godzilla egg" or a "dragon ball" from the popular Japanese manga "Dragon Ball."
‘MOSUL ORB’: US SILENT ON UFO FILMED BY MILITARY OVER IRAQ
A local runner called police after finding the mysterious metal object on a beach in Hamamatsu, a coastal city located about 150 miles from Tokyo. (Twitter/@XMiS10C4M6QthSG via Reuters)
Others online have suggested that the unidentified object may have come from outer space.
X-rays revealed the object appeared to be hollow and officials determined there was no danger to the public, state broadcaster NHK reported. (Twitter/@XMiS10C4M6QthSG via Reuters)
Masaki Matsukawa, head of the Shizuoka Prefectural Hamamatsu Civil Engineering Office's coastal maintenance division, told the news outlet that it remains unclear what the metal object is.
BIDEN SAYS THREE AERIAL ‘OBJECTS’ US SHOT DOWN LIKELY NOT RELATED TO CHINA SURVEILLANCE
"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," the official said.
The object was expected to be removed from the beach on Wednesday.