Expert Warns of Disinformation over Kumamoto Earthquake

Tokyo, Aug. 4 (Jiji Press)–People need to doubt social media posts and check primary information from administrative organizations after disasters because false information tends to spread following them, Reo Kimura, professor of disaster psychology at the University of Hyogo in Kobe, said. An X post shared five hours after a powerful earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture, southeastern Japan, last week claimed that the tremblor was caused artificially. The post was viewed more than two million times in two days. The Seismological Society of Japan said on its website that it is difficult to dig a hole 10 kilometers deep, which would be necessary to cause an artificial earthquake. “It’s not realistic to create such an earthquake artificially,” it said. Separately, information was circulated on X that a person was collecting e-money donations by claiming that his or her mother, who worked at a Ringer Hut restaurant in the Aeon Mall Kumamoto shopping facility in Kashima, had died at home during the disaster. An official at the Ringer Hut operator said, however, that all employees at the restaurant were safe. An explosion occurred at the shopping mall following the earthquake. People tend to become anxious during disasters and believe suspicious information that they would not normally believe, and pass it on to others, Kimura said. False information aimed at deceiving people or increasing the number of views on social media to earn money appears after disasters. “It’s important to question whether information spreading on social media is true, check primary information from the central and local governments as well as news organizations and not to spread groundless information,” Kimura said. False information that seems accurate is increasing due to the spread of artificial intelligence, he said, adding, “It may be better not to collect information on social media if you’re not used to using it.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]