A Woman's Body Floating in the Sea... Surprised to Find It Was a Real Doll

A real doll found on the dock in Hachinohe, Honshu, Japan, on the afternoon of the 18th. / Photo by Twitter capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] A misunderstanding occurred when firefighters and police were dispatched after mistaking a real doll floating in the sea in front of a Japanese pier for a human corpse.

At around 2 p.m. on the 18th, firefighters in Hachinohe, Honshu, Japan, responded to a report of "a woman drowned in the river." However, upon investigation, it was found that the object was not a corpse but an adult product real doll modeled after a human body.

This incident became known after Japanese YouTuber Tanaka Natsuki, who was at the scene, shared a photo on Twitter on the 21st showing firefighters pulling up the real doll.

Tanaka explained along with the photo, "I was filming a fishing video in the river when it seemed like someone found a corpse floating on one side," adding, "Startled people reported it to the authorities, and police, fire trucks, and ambulances were dispatched."

The photos Tanaka released showed the real doll floating on the sea and firefighters pulling the faceless real doll out of the river.

Netizens who saw this reacted with comments such as "We should first decide how to dispose of real dolls," "It seems difficult to handle even when discarding," and "It's somewhat eerie."

A real doll found in the sea in front of a Japanese pier. / Photo by Twitter capture

There have also been cases in South Korea where real dolls were mistaken for humans and reported. In March, fire authorities responded to a report suspected of an extreme act at the Han River but found a real doll instead of a person.

According to reports, the Yeongdeungpo Fire Station in Seoul received a report of "a bag floating on the water" near the southern end of Seongsan Bridge and arrived at the scene in about seven minutes, discovering a black bag floating on the Han River. However, inside the bag was the upper body of a real doll.

The fire authorities stated, "There was no further investigation such as finding the person who discarded the bag," and that the discovered real doll was collected by the fire station and disposed of internally.