Old clips misrepresented as footage of 'August 2024 earthquake in Japan'
- Published on August 20, 2024 at 06:11
- Updated on August 20, 2024 at 06:12
- 4 min read
- By AFP Indonesia
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"Breaking news. A 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Japan," reads Indonesian-language text overlaid on an Instagram video shared on August 8, 2024.
The video flashes up screenshots of news headlines about an earthquake that jolted Japan on the same day, while clips of cars and houses violently shaking plays in the background.
Part of the video's Indonesian-language caption added that the 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck at August 8 at 16:43 local time.
The video also circulated on X in Hindi and English.
The posts emerged on the same day a powerful 7.1-magnitude tremor hit southern Japan, leaving at least 15 people injured (archived link).
Traffic lights and cars shook and crockery fell off shelves during the earthquake off the southern island of Kyushu, but no serious damage was reported.
Japan initially issued a warning of a "megaquake" potentially causing colossal damage and loss of life following the earthquake but lifted this on August 15.
Comments on the posts suggest some users believed the video showed the effect of the August 8 quake.
"Even when they were hit by a 7 magnitude, the houses are still standing strong like that. They even look flexible. The earthquake-resistant structures are amazing. If that happened to our houses, they would have been destroyed," wrote one user.
Another said: "Even a 7.1 M earthquake doesn't affect Japan. Their infrastructure is the coolest."
The clips circulating online, however, predate the earthquake that struck off Kyushu.
New Year's Day quake
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the misleadingly shared video led to a report published by Japanese public broadcaster NHK on January 1 (archived link).
The first clip of the misleadingly shared video was included at the beginning of a compilation embedded in the report showing the impact of a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that hit the Noto peninsula on the Sea of Japan side of the main island of Honshu on New Year's Day.
The January 1 quake and its aftershocks toppled buildings, caused fires and knocked out infrastructure.
Below is a screenshot comparison between the clip in the misleading post (left) and clip as it appears in the NHK video (right):
Japanese-language narration on the compilation says the clips were filmed in Anamizu, a town in the Ishikawa region of Honshu.
"Anamizu Town, Ishikawa, (January) 1st, around 4:10 pm. Scoop Box. Filmed by our viewer," reads the Japanese-language overlay on the NHK video that appears when the clip shows.
'Earthquake-resistant buildings'
A separate reverse image search using keyframes from the second clip in the misleadingly shared video found it had circulated months before the August 8 quake.
It was included at the eight-second mark of a YouTube video uploaded on January 5 that was titled "Japan's Earthquake Resistant Buildings are Fascinating to Watch" (archived link).
Below is a screenshot comparison between the clip in the misleading posts (left) and the clip as it appears in the YouTube video (right):
The clip was also included in an Indonesian-language Instagram post on January 5 (archived link).
The clip's overlaid text says, "The quality of Japanese houses when they were struck by an earthquake has amazed the world".
Its caption added: "The earthquake makes the ground shake, the houses sway, but they do not collapse. It seems that in the midst of this disaster, Japan has showcased its quality."
The YouTube video and Instagram post both also feature the first clip from the misleadingly shared video.
AFP has previously debunked other misinformation about recent earthquakes in Japan here and here.
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