Japan is mystified by a giant metal sphere that washed up on a beach,

• A metal sphere, 5 feet in diameter, washed up on a Japanese beach and has mystified authorities.

• The hollow ball is not explosive, and it could be just a buoy, authorities said. 

• Many have rejected this online, with some referencing the manga series "Dragon Ball" and Godzilla.

A mysterious iron sphere that washed up on a Japanese beach has baffled authorities and sent social-media users into a frenzy.
The metal ball is about 5 feet in diameter and recently appeared on Enshuhama Beach in the coastal city of Hamamatsu, NHK, a state broadcaster, reported.
A passerby reported it to police on Saturday, which prompted an inspection, but a local man told the outlet that the ball had sat there for more than a month, the outlet said.
The beach was subsequently cordoned off, with officials in protective clothing sent to inspect the object.
Masaki Matsukawa, a representative of the city's civil-engineering office, told NHK that the rust-pocked object had still not been identified. The office said it could be a buoy, the outlet reported — an explanation supported by the presence of two apparent metal handles sticking out of it.
Japan is mystified by a giant metal sphere that washed up on a beach, with some commentators suggesting it's Godzilla's egg