Japan Faces Misinformation Surge After 7.7-Magnitude Quake, Fact-Checkers Confirm False Videos Circulating Online

Following a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck off the northeastern coast of Japan on April 20, 2026, social media platforms experienced a significant surge in false posts and misleading content, according to verified reporting from the Asahi Shimbun and corroborated by international fact-checking organizations.

The Asahi Shimbun reported that misinformation and blatant falsehoods flooded social media in the aftermath of the quake, prompting concern among officials and residents alike. The communications ministry noted the spike in deceptive content, which included fabricated videos and exaggerated claims about the earthquake’s impact.

False Content Circulating Online

Fact-checkers from Agence France-Presse identified multiple instances of old videos being falsely linked to the April 20 tremor. These clips, shared in several languages including Japanese, English, Chinese and Thai, actually depicted events from previous years: the 2025 tsunami in eastern Japan, the aftermath of a January 1, 2024 earthquake in western Japan, and the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Nature of the Misinformation

The false posts included misleading captions claiming to show real-time tsunami impacts. One video falsely described as showing a “tsunami hits Japan after a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake” was viewed over 42,000 times and featured scenes of waves hitting coastal areas and shaking buildings. Another post in Korean referenced a “magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Japan, tsunami warning,” despite no such event occurring on April 20.

Actual Impact of the Earthquake

Verified reports indicate that while the 7.7-magnitude quake rattled northern Japan and triggered tsunami waves of up to 80 centimeters at a port in Kuji, Iwate Prefecture, it did not cause major damage. The footage circulating online did not reflect the actual, limited effects of the April 20 tremor.

Context and Response

Japan, home to approximately 125 million people and located in one of the world’s most seismically active regions, has experienced similar patterns of misinformation following past seismic events. Earlier in 2024, after the Noto Peninsula earthquake, hundreds of thousands of social media posts spread false news, prompting government action to curb the spread of fabricated content.

As of April 22, 2026, fact-checking efforts continued to identify and label false content circulating online, with organizations issuing corrections and context to counter the misleading narratives that emerged in the immediate aftermath of the quake.