False Info Spreads on Social Media after Japan Quake

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–False information, including claims of an “artificial earthquake,” has spread on social media following a quake on Monday that registered up to upper 5, the fourth-highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, in northeastern Japan. Immediately after the magnitude 7.7 quake off the Sanriku Pacific coast of northeastern Japan on Monday, which recorded upper 5 seismic intensity in the town of Hashikami, Aomori Prefecture, there were many posts on X, formerly Twitter, claiming that the temblor was artificial. Several posts claimed that the Chikyu deep-sea drilling vessel operated by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, or JAMSTEC, which was conducting research off the Hidaka southern coast of Hokkaido, northernmost Japan, caused the earthquake, despite the epicenter being off the Sanriku coast. One of these posts had over 50,000 views. None provided scientific evidence for their claims. “Drilling by a research vessel does not affect the movement of the entire earth,” a JAMSTEC official said, rejecting the claim. Using the social media analysis tool Brandwatch, Jiji Press found that the number of posts on X mentioning “artificial earthquake” or similar phrases, including reposts, increased in the immediate aftermath of the Monday quake and exceeded 6,000 by Tuesday. While some of these posts were intended to caution viewers about disinformation, such warnings accounted for only around 20 pct of all posts. On Threads, a post made several days before the quake claiming that a shock with seismic intensity of at least 5 was coming received some 10,000 likes by Tuesday. The account had repeatedly posted unfounded predictions of imminent earthquakes prior to the latest temblor. The Japan Meteorological Agency said that it is difficult to predict earthquakes based on current scientific knowledge, and information that predicts the date and location of quakes can be considered false information. Videos depicting people fleeing from collapsed buildings, believed to be made with generative artificial intelligence, were posted on TikTok. The app displays a banner urging users to confirm information with reliable sources when they search the word “earthquake.” “People easily become worried after natural disasters occur, and uncertain information tends to circulate,” said Shosuke Sato, associate professor of disaster information at Tohoku University’s International Research Institute of Disaster Science. “Necessary information should be gathered from the websites of public organizations, while keeping a distance from social media is also an option.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]