'An Artificial Earthquake': Japan Quake Misinformation Spreads Online

InnovationCybersecurity'An Artificial Earthquake': Japan Quake Misinformation Spreads OnlineByEmma Woollacott,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Emma Woollacott is a freelance journalist Follow AuthorApr 23, 2026, 07:36am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.A warning message after an earthquake hit northern Japan, in Tokyo on April 20, 2026. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesMisinformation about Japan's recent earthquake has been spreading online, leading communications minister Yoshimasa Hayashi to issue a warning.“I hope everyone will confirm information about natural disasters with what is provided by the central and local governments and media organizations,” he said.The 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Tohoku region on April 20, with tremors felt as far away as Tokyo, 330 miles to the south, and triggering tsunami warnings—although these were later downgraded.However, the quake and tsunami warnings triggered widespread misinformation online. Many YouTube videos showed footage of previous, more severe, earthquakes, including the Noto peninsula earthquake on New Year’s Day 2024 and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake."Civilians screamed in videos posted to social media after entire homes were flattened during a 7.5 magnitude earthquake in Japan," read one YouTube description.Many others appeared to be AI-generated.Other videos showed tsunami waves far higher than those that actually appeared—just two-and-a-half feet—again either AI-generated or recycled from previous quakes.Many of these originated outside Japan, in South Asia, China and Europe, with the posters using automatic translation into the Japanese language.MORE FOR YOUPerhaps the most extreme example of misinformation last week was a series of claims that the earthquake had been artificiall...