Japanese teenager Misaki Murakami will be reunited with his football after it made a trip across the Pacific Ocean following last year's tsunami.

The ball, bearing his name, was found across the world's largest ocean on a remote Alaskan island.

Kyodo News agency said the 16-year-old from the devastated town of Rikuzentakata was surprised and thankful.

The ball is one of the first pieces of debris that can be traced back to Japan after the March 11 tsunami.

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

They plan to send the ball back to the boy soon

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