A strong earthquake was recently reported off the northern coast of Japan on April 20, 2026, prompting tsunami alerts and raising concerns in affected regions. As the incident gained widespread attention, a video began circulating on social media claiming to show its impact.
The video has been widely shared on platforms such as TikTok and Facebook, with captions claiming it shows a “BREAKING: 7.4 Earthquake in Japan” and suggesting it is linked to a seismic event off northeast Japan.
These posts can be seen here, here, here, and here.
Evidence
To verify the claim, we checked recent international media coverage of the reported earthquake in Japan and found no matching footage or confirmation linking this viral video to a recent event.
A reverse image search traced the video back to January 11, 2024, when it was uploaded by the YouTube channel “MBS NEWS.” The Japanese caption translates to: “[Moment of the Earthquake] House walls collapse… Power lines shake violently, people stand frozen in shock – Scenes from Anamizu Town, Ishikawa Prefecture during the Noto Peninsula Earthquake [Dashcam footage].”
The video description further explains that it was filmed inside a car in Anamizu Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, during the January 1, 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, which reached a maximum intensity of 7.
The same footage was also shared on X (formerly Twitter) on January 6, 2024, by user @moyamamaayu33, who stated that the video was personally recorded during the earthquake while evacuating with family after a tsunami warning.
The earthquake referenced in the original footage was the January 1, 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake (Mw 7.6), which caused significant damage and triggered tsunami warnings in multiple coastal prefectures in Japan, including Yamagata, Niigata, Toyama, Fukui, and Hyogo.
Verdict
The viral video claiming to show a recent 2026 earthquake in Japan is missing context. It actually shows footage from the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture, which has been misrepresented online.
FAQs
Q1. Does the video show the April 2026 Japan earthquake?
No. The video is unrelated to any recent earthquake and predates the 2026 claim.
Q2. When and where was the video originally recorded?
It was recorded during the January 1, 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake in Anamizu Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.
Q3. Where did the video first appear online?
The video was originally uploaded on YouTube by “MBS NEWS” in January 2024 and shared on X by a user who recorded it.
Our Sources
Video uploaded by the YouTube channel “MBS NEWS” on January 11, 2024.
Video posted on X by user @moyamamaayu33 on January 6, 2024.
