State aquatic officials are investigating the origin of a large blue container that may be debris from the 2011 tsunami that struck Japan.

The container was labeled with the name of a business in Japan whose factories were destroyed during the tsunami, and the gooseneck barnacles attached to the container are not found in Hawaiian waters, scientist said.

The container was found Tuesday floating about 150 yards offshore by an observer who regularly scans the ocean horizon for monk seals near the Makai Pier overlooking Rabbit Island, said Michael Nedbal, the operations coordinator for Makai Ocean Engineering.

Nedbal, whose business is located at the pier, said the container is about 4 feet high and 4 feet wide, and might have been used to store fish.