Overview
- A magnitude 7.7 earthquake off northern Japan on April 20 set off tsunami warnings that were later downgraded after small waves of up to 80 centimeters were recorded in the port of Kuji.
- AFP found that two viral clips said to show the quake were old footage, including a shop collapse from the March 28, 2025 Myanmar disaster and a mall video from the January 1, 2024 Noto Peninsula quake.
- Another widely shared city CCTV clip was AI-generated, with telltale flaws like a still camera and parked cars as buildings sway and unreadable signs, and it first appeared on TikTok in December 2025.
- Posts also claimed the deep-sea drillship Chikyu caused an “artificial” quake, but research agency JAMSTEC said drilling cannot trigger a tectonic event on that scale and noted the vessel was not nearby.
- Japan’s communications minister Yoshimasa Hayashi asked the public to verify quake information with central and local authorities and established news outlets.