Footages of 2011 earthquake in Japan recirculate after 2024 jolt

This article is more than one year old.
Published on January 12, 2024 at 08:58
4 min read
By Chayanit ITTHIPONGMAETEE, AFP Thailand

A video compilation depicting scenes from an earthquake has been shared on social media with a false claim it shows impacts of a powerful tremor that struck the western coast of Japan in January 2024. However, all clips in the video were taken in March 2011 when an earthquake and tsunami caused massive damage and left tens of thousands killed or missing in Japan.

"Earthquake in Japan #earthquake #Japan #7.6," reads a Thai caption of a Facebook video shared on January 1, 2024. The caption includes "7.6" which indicates the magnitude of the New Year's Day quake as measured by the Japanese weather agency.

The video compilation consists of three different clips which show an automobile store, houses and a construction site shaking violently during an earthquake.

A screenshot of the first clip appeared in the false post

Similar claims have also been shared on Facebook here, X here, and TikTok here and among social media users in the Philippines here and here.

The earthquake on January 1, 2024 and its powerful aftershocks killed at least 213 people in the central Ishikawa region, flattening houses, wrecking infrastructure and leaving thousands without power (archived link).

Tsunami waves up to three metres high were recorded at, but did not damage, an offline nuclear plant.

The clips are unrelated, however, to the recent quake which rattled Japan. Reverse image search on Google found the videos actually date back to March 2011, when a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck the northeastern region of Japan.

2011 disaster

Footages of the Honda automobile shop and the houses shaking were both featured in a documentary by Japanese public broadcaster NHK titled "3/11 - The Tsunami: The First 3 Days." The clips could be seen from the 03:58-04:10 mark (archived link).

Below are screenshot comparisons of the clips in the false posts (left) and the NHK documentary (right):

Screenshot comparisons of the clips in the false posts (left) and the NHK documentary (right)

The video of the Honda store was also uploaded on YouTube on March 14, 2011, with a caption saying it was shot at Yaita city, Tochigi prefecture.

AFP was able to geolocate the automobile shop at Honda Cars Yaita (archived link).

Below is a screenshot comparison between the video in the false posts (left) and the Google Street View of Honda Cars Yaita from May 2013 (right) with similar elements highlighted by AFP:

Screenshot comparison between the video in the false posts (left) and the Google Street View of Honda Cars Yaita from May 2013 (right)

AFP also found a longer clip of the houses swaying violently uploaded on YouTube on March 20, 2011, with the title saying it was shot at Iwaki city, Fukushima prefecture (archived link).

According to the description, the house in the video belongs to the parents of the YouTube account owner.

Another video on YouTube on April 4, 2011, meanwhile, matched the clip of the shaking construction site (archived link).

The video's title says it shows a construction site in the northwestern part of Chiba prefecture during the March 2011 earthquake. The workers were in the middle of building the roof of a wooden house when the earthquake struck.

Below is a screenshot comparison between the false post (left) and the YouTube video uploaded in 2011 (right):

Screenshot comparison between the false post (left) and the YouTube video uploaded in 2011 (right)

AFP has debunked other misinformation related to the latest earthquake in Japan here, here, and here.

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