A snake was found on a passenger train in central Tokyo on May 12.

A photo taken by a passenger shows a snake-like object beneath a seat of the train that was running on the JR Yamanote loop line.

Officials of East Japan Railway said they were notified by multiple passengers about the snake sighting shortly after 5 p.m.

They stopped the train at Ueno Station for several minutes to check for the snake.

They then stopped it again at Komagome Station where passengers were moved from the car in question to other cars.

The train was later moved to a railway yard near Osaki Station, and officials finally found the snake.

Tokyo police said the reptile was about 20 centimeters long.

They could not immediately tell whether it was poisonous.

The train service on the Yamanote line was delayed by up to 15 minutes due to the incident.