A 16-year-old who lost his home in Japans devastating tsunami now knows that one prized possession survived: a soccer ball that made it all the way to Alaska. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say the ball is one of the first pieces of debris from the March 2011 tsunami to wash up on the other side of the Pacific. David Baxter found the ball while beachcombing on an Alaskan island,and his wife Yumi,who is Japanese,talked with its owner,Misaki Murakami,over the phone. They plan to send the ball back to him soon. Kyodo News agency says Murakami,from the devastated town of Rikuzentakata,is surprised and thankful the ball has been found some 8,200 kilometers away. I have no doubt it is mine, Murakami said. The ball with messages of encouragement on it was given to him in 2005,when Murakami was in third grade,as a good-bye gift when he transferred to another school.
