Japan Coast Guard officials say they have confirmed a large marine creature believed to be a whale in Tokyo Bay.

They say a patrol boat found and took a video clip of the creature on Thursday after receiving a report that a whale was spotted near the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line.

The report came from a ship navigating in the bay and it said the whale was spurting air and dived into the waters near the trans-bay expressway.

The coast guard is calling on ships sailing in the waters to exercise caution, and is further looking into the situation.

There have been several sightings of whales in Tokyo Bay and nearby waters in recent years.

In June 2018, eyewitness reports of a whale poured in from near the Kasai Marine Park and the Tokyo Gate Bridge.

In September of the same year, a dead whale measuring about 4 meters long was found near the Uraga Channel off Miura City, south of Tokyo.