Misleading: Viral video does not show scenes from recent earthquake in Japan
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck off Japan’s northeastern coast on April 20, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. A tsunami warning was briefly issued.
A day later, a post on X shared a video claiming to show the severity of the tremor across different parts of the country. The post written in Chinese reads: “How terrifying was the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan today? Watch this video!”
It has since gained 2,900 likes, 630 comments, and 300 reposts. The same video has also spread widely on Sina, Threads, and Reddit.
The video consists of four clips showing bricks on pavement being pushed upward, parked vehicles shaking, a train station departure board swinging violently, and objects falling inside an office.
However, Annie Lab found that all four clips are more than two years old.
They depict the Noto Peninsula earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture that struck on Jan. 1, 2024. All footage appeared in coverage by the Japanese media at the time and is unrelated to the recent quake.
The epicenter of the April 20 earthquake was offshore, approximately 100 kilometers east of Miyako City in Iwate Prefecture. According to NHK (archived here), although the quake prompted evacuation orders and tsunami warnings, its impact on land was limited, with no reports of significant casualties or major property damage.
The first clip (from 0:00 to 0:12) shows paving blocks bulging upward during intense shaking. It is identical to a video (archived here) posted by NTV News on Jan. 31, 2024, which identifies the scene as Nishi Ward in Niigata City (新潟市西区) during the Noto earthquake.
The second clip (from 0:13 to 0:51) shows vehicles shaking in a parking lot. It is identical to a YouTube video (archived here) published by MBS News on Jan. 2, 2024. Its description says the footage was captured at a shopping mall in Toyama Prefecture during the same quake.
The third clip showing a train station departure board shaking violently matches another video (archived here) from JR Kanazawa Station posted by MBS News on Jan. 2, 2024.
The final segment (from 1:06 to 2:05) shows prolonged shaking inside an office. It corresponds to footage broadcast by ANN News (archived here) on Jan. 4, 2024. It identified the location as Toyama City during the Noto earthquake. This footage also appeared in Forbes’ breaking news coverage on Jan. 1, 2024.
