A snake about 40 centimeters long was found on a shinkansen bullet train after it had arrived at Tokyo Station on Tuesday afternoon, causing a brief delay in the service.

The snake was seen by a passenger on a Tokaido Shinkansen Line's Kodama train that had departed Nagoya in central Japan as it pulled into the terminus station. Passengers are banned from bringing snakes on board, and railway operator Central Japan Railway Co. is investigating the matter.

A member of staff of the railway operator, commonly known as JR Central, captured the snake and handed it to local authorities, according to the company. The snake was found in car No. 6 of the 16-car train.

None of the passengers were injured.

The railway operator decided not to use the train for its next trip to Osaka in western Japan, and used a different one instead, resulting in a 17-minute delay in the service.

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