Japan alarmed by strongest earthquake in history – then the mistake became clear

The Japan Meteorological Agency mistakenly sent an emergency alert for a magnitude 9.9 earthquake, the strongest in history, causing panic at Tokyo Disneyland and train stations. Within eight minutes, the alert was canceled after it became clear the actual quake was magnitude 6.9 near Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. The agency explained the system misidentified the epicenter.

On Friday, the Japan Meteorological Agency sent an unprecedented emergency alert for a magnitude 9.9 earthquake – the strongest in history. The alert, sent to millions of mobile devices, caused panic: visitors at Tokyo Disneyland took cover, and warnings were announced at train stations. Within eight minutes, the alert was canceled after it became clear the actual quake was only magnitude 6.9, near Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. Agency officials explained the system mistakenly identified the epicenter in the Kuril Islands, leading to a miscalculation of the magnitude. They emphasized it was not a cyberattack. The article notes that Japan is considered advanced in alert systems, but false alerts have occurred before, in 2013 and 2018. The current incident raises questions about system reliability and the impact of false alarms on public trust.