Commuters in Tokyo were amazed to see a monkey hanging around in a train station.

A security guard spotted the wild Japanese monkey near ticket gates in Shibuya station.

Police were called when the 2ft-long animal clambered on top of a departures board and refused to come down.

Within an hour about 30 officers surrounded the creature and attempted to snare it with a variety of nets, as commuters took pictures with their mobile phones and TV crews filmed the standoff.

The drama ended abruptly when the monkey climbed down and dashed out of the station, evading the police and scampering away from reporters.

It was last seen heading in the direction of nearby Yoyogi Park.

The Japanese media have reported several monkey sightings in Tokyo recently, but it is unclear if they involve the same animal.

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