The green orb was seen in Niigata, in the north of the country, in the early hours of Monday morning.

Experts say the object was likely to be a fireball, the name given to a very bright meteor

A mysterious green ‘UFO’ has been spotted over Japan, leaving a trail of sparks behind it

The green orb was seen in Niigata, northern Japan, in the early hours of Monday morning

Dramatic footage shows the green orb streaking across the sky above the city.

The ‘UFO’ was captured by a Japanese television channel’s weather camera.

An expert told NBC that the brightness of the object means it may have been caused by space debris.

A fragment from a satellite that burnt up as it re-entered the earth’s atmosphere could have resulted in the bright object spotted in the sky.

Dramatic footage caught on a weather camera shows the green orb shooting across the sky

 A satellite fragment that burnt up as it re-entered the earth’s atmosphere could have resulted in the bright object spotted in the sky