Reporter: We see a dorsal fin over there. It looks like a large fish is swimming.  

The fish appeared to be about 6 to 7 meters long and had white dots on it.  

It is believed to be a whale shark. 

People gathered in the river in Ehime Prefecture’s Uwajima to catch a glimpse.  

Children: Come here. 

Girl: Be quiet, or it will never come this way.  

SOT: Wow!  

The children cheered as the creature approached them. 

Girl: So cool! 

Girl: Cute!  

According to residents, the large fish was spotted swimming about 1 kilometer upstream from the mouth of the river by a nearby resident just before noon on the 5th.  

According to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, which raises whale sharks, the species rides the Kuroshio Current and appears in Japan's coastal waters from early summer to autumn.   

Aquarium officials said there is a good chance that whale sharks will come to this area riding the Kuroshio Current. 

Officials of Ehime Prefecture are urging people to be careful and not to go near the whale shark by boat because of the risk of accidents.