The mysterious metal ball that drifted ashore on a beach in Hamamatsu City, Japan, earlier in the week had confounded local police and come amid the latest UFO craze, sparked after the Pentagon’s downing of a Chinese balloon, along with other ‘objects’ spotted in the skies over the US.
Timing, of course, is everything. The baffling discovery comes amid a ‘UFO’ and ‘spy balloon’ craze unleashed by a string of events earlier in the month. Early February saw the Pentagon’s downing of a Chinese balloon over its airspace, which the US claimed was a spy device. Beijing had vehemently denied this, saying it was a civilian airship engaged in scientific research. This was followed by the subsequent downings of three additional unidentified “objects.” North Korea’s recent missile activity had also set Japanese authorities on edge.
Hence the torrent of speculation online over Japan’s mystery ball. On the internet, users had a field day, with wild theories ranging from “something from outer space” to a World War 2 mine, or even a gigantic fictional reptile monster egg.
Some had suggested it was a “mooring buoy” and that opinion later appeared to prevail among experts.