started · updated
Japan Meteorological Agency apologizes for M9.9 earthquake false alarm
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has issued a formal apology following a massive false earthquake alert on October 16, 2026. At approximately 12:40 PM, the agency broadcast an emergency warning claiming a magnitude 9.9 earthquake had occurred near the Kuril Islands, prompting alerts to millions of mobile phones and causing widespread disruption to public transportation, including the temporary stoppage of train and tram services.
The actual seismic event was a magnitude 6.9 earthquake near the Kamchatka Peninsula, which resulted in a maximum intensity of only level 1 in Hakodate, Hokkaido. The erroneous magnitude 9.9 figure was significantly higher than the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, the strongest ever recorded.
JMA Director Ryuichi Nomura attributed the error to two primary technical failures: flaws in the earthquake scale and intensity prediction methods, and the improper inclusion of data from observation points located too far from the epicenter. Nomura stated that the agency is investigating why these distant data points were integrated into the automated calculation process to prevent recurrence.
Entities
Hakodate · Japan · Japan Meteorological Agency · Kamchatka Peninsula · Kuril Islands · Ryuichi Nomura
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] JMA Director Ryuichi Nomura apologized for the incident during a press conference. news.cube-soft.jp
- [● 4 SOURCES] The JMA issued a false emergency earthquake alert for a magnitude 9.9 event on October 16, 2026. uula.jp · jerezsinfronteras.es · www.24matins.fr · news.cube-soft.jp
- [● 2 SOURCES] The magnitude 9.9 alert was issued at approximately 12:40 PM on October 16. uula.jp · news.cube-soft.jp
- [DISPUTED] The maximum seismic intensity recorded in Japan was level 1 in Hakodate. uula.jp · news.cube-soft.jp
- [● 2 SOURCES] The false alert caused the temporary suspension of various train and tram services in Japan. jerezsinfronteras.es · www.24matins.fr
- [● 3 SOURCES] The actual earthquake was a magnitude 6.9 near the Kamchatka Peninsula. uula.jp · www.24matins.fr · news.cube-soft.jp
- [● 2 SOURCES] The error was caused by using data from observation points located more than 700km from the epicenter. uula.jp · news.cube-soft.jp
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The error involved flaws in the methods used to predict earthquake magnitude and intensity. news.cube-soft.jp