Posts resurface photos of earlier Japan quakes in aftermath of April 2026 tremor
- Published on May 3, 2026 at 09:29
- 4 min read
- By Nyan Tun SHEIN, AFP Thailand
Northern Japan was shaken by a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake in April 2026, but images purportedly showing extensive damage caused by the tremor in fact show the aftermath of quakes that rocked the country’s western coast in 2024 and the south in 2016. All the photos were previously distributed at the time by news organisations and agencies.
"A 7.7-magnitude earthquake happened in Japan. May the people of Japan and all Myanmar people in Japan be safe," says the Burmese-language Facebook post shared on April 21, 2026.
Four images showing damaged houses and roads are attached to the post.
It circulated after a major quake struck in Pacific waters off Japan's northern Iwate prefecture on April 20, with the intense jolt shaking large buildings hundreds of kilometres away in the capital Tokyo (archived link).
At least six people were injured, though there appeared to be no major damage from the tremor (archived link).
The images were also shared in similar Facebook and TikTok posts.
But the photos do not show the impact of the April 2026 earthquake.
A combination of reverse image and keyword searches on Google found the images in fact show the aftermath of tremors that rattled Japan's western coast in January 2024 and the country's south in April 2016.
New Year's Day quake, 2024
The first falsely shared image showing collapsed houses was previously distributed by the Reuters news agency on January 3, 2024 (archived link).
"An aerial view shows collapsed houses, cars and roads caused by an earthquake in Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan January 2, 2024, in this photo released by Kyodo," reads its description.
The Atlantic and Voice of America also used the photo in their reports about the 7.5 magnitude quake that shook Japan's Noto Peninsula on January 1, 2024 (archived here, here and here).
The earthquake destroyed and toppled buildings, caused fires and knocked out infrastructure, claiming more than 700 lives (archived link).
A similar photo of the same houses taken from a different angle was also shared by the The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper (archived link).
According to the report, the homes slid down the hill when the land underneath them collapsed. It said a car was crushed under one of the fallen homes but there were no people inside and no one was harmed.
The second falsely shared photo showing rescuers searching through damaged houses was previously distributed by the Getty Images photo agency on January 2, 2024, and credited to Kyodo News (archived link).
"Police officers search for people possibly trapped inside a collapsed building in Wajima in the central Japan prefecture of Ishikawa on Jan. 2, 2024, following a strong earthquake that rocked a wide area on the Sea of Japan coast the previous day," reads the photo's description.
The Guardian published a similar photo of the damaged buildings in their report of New Year's Day earthquake (archived link).
The third falsely shared photo of cars on a badly damaged road was previously used by the Associated Press (AP) news agency on January 3, 2024 and credited to photographer Hiro Komae (archived link).
"Bystanders look at damage near Noto town in the Noto peninsula facing the Sea of Japan, northwest of Tokyo, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, following Monday's deadly earthquake," reads its caption.
The same photo was also widely shared by news media at the time, including in reports by the Guardian and AL Jazeera about the earthquake (archived here and here).
Kumamoto earthquakes, 2016
The final image showing quake-damaged houses was also published by the AP news agency on April 16, 2016, crediting the photo to Kyodo News (archived link).
"Damaged houses sit after an earthquake in Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture, southern Japan Saturday, April 16, 2016," reads part of the photo's description.
Southern Japan was struck by powerful twin earthquakes in April 2016, triggering deadly landslides and reducing buildings to rubble (archived link).
The same photo was also used by CNN in an April 2016 slideshow (archived link).
A similar photo showing the same damaged houses from a different angle was published by the New York Times in an April 2016 report about the quakes (archived link).
Old photos frequently resurface when natural disasters strike, and AFP has debunked similar misinformation in the wake of the April 2026 earthquake.
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