Soccer ball lost in tsunami, found after a year

Tokyo: The good thing is that Misaki Murakami's name was on his soccer ball. It was lost in last year's tsunami in Japan but has been found across the Pacific on a remote Alaskan island.

Kyodo News agency says the 16-year-old from the devastated town of Rikuzentakata is surprised and thankful that the ball has been found.

Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say the ball is one of the first pieces of debris that can be traced back to Japan after the March 11 tsunami last year.

David Baxter, who spotted the ball on Middleton Island, says his Japanese wife, Yumi, talked with Murakami over the phone.

They plan to send the ball back to the boy soon.