Nerves rattled in Japan as alert for magnitude 9.9 quake withdrawn minutes later
The Japan Meteorological Agency canceled a mistakenly issued emergency alert for a magnitude 9.9 earthquake after its computer system overestimated the size of a quake near Russia. The alert, issued at 12:40 p.m., warned of strong shaking across northern, eastern, and central Japan, causing temporary disruptions to public transport. The actual seismic event was a magnitude 6.9 to 7.0 earthquake that struck Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. There is no tsunami threat to Hawaii. The agency confirmed the error was caused by a miscalculation of the quake's focus.
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- ✓ The Japan Meteorological Agency issued and then canceled a warning for a magnitude 9.9 earthquake.
- ✓ The warning covered northern, eastern, and central Japan.
- ✓ The actual earthquake occurred near Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula with a magnitude between 6.9 and 7.0.
- ✓ The false alert caused temporary public transport disruptions in parts of Japan.
What changed
The Japan Meteorological Agency attributed the false alert to a system error regarding the earthquake's focus.
Live updates
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Japan Retracts Mistaken Magnitude 9.9 Earthquake Warning
The Japan Meteorological Agency canceled a mistakenly issued emergency alert for a magnitude 9.9 earthquake after its computer system overestimated the size of a quake near Russia. The alert, issued at 12:40 p.m., warned of strong shaking across northern, eastern, and central Japan, causing temporary disruptions to public transport. The actual seismic event was a magnitude 6.9 to 7.0 earthquake that struck Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. There is no tsunami threat to Hawaii. The agency confirmed the error was caused by a miscalculation of the quake's focus.
Why it matters
A magnitude 9.9 event would be the strongest ever recorded. This incident marks the first time the agency has canceled a public warning of this nature.
What is confirmed
- The Japan Meteorological Agency issued and then canceled a warning for a magnitude 9.9 earthquake.
- The warning covered northern, eastern, and central Japan.
- The actual earthquake occurred near Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula with a magnitude between 6.9 and 7.0.
- The false alert caused temporary public transport disruptions in parts of Japan.
- The alert was issued at 12:40 p.m.
Still unconfirmed
- The false emergency alert was not the result of a cyberattack.
- The warning was triggered specifically by the magnitude 6.9 quake off Russia.
What to watch next
- Official technical report from the Japan Meteorological Agency on the system error
- Government review of earthquake early warning protocols
confidence 95%Sources used for this update (13)
- Reuters — Earthquake of magnitude 7 strikes Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, EMSC says
- The Japan Times — Emergency alert for strong quake withdrawn minutes later
- Honolulu Star-Advertiser — No tsunami threat to Hawaii after large quake hits Russia
- The Japan News — Japan Meteorological Agency Cancels Earthquake Early Warning in Many Areas (UPDATE 1)
- The New York Times — Japan Mistakenly Issues Warning for Strongest Ever Earthquake
- USGS (.gov) — M 6.9 - 76 km NE of Ozernovskiy, Russia
- Gizmodo — Japan’s False Emergency Alert for a 9.9 Earthquake Wasn’t a Cyberattack
- Hawaii News Now — Japan mistakenly sends emergency alert warning of 9.9 magnitude earthquake
- The Japan News — M6.9 Earthquake Off Russia Apparently Triggers Japan’s Earthquake Early Warning
- www.japantimes.co.jp — Nerves rattled in Japan as alert for magnitude 9.9 quake ...
- mainichi.jp — Japan agency cancels mistakenly issued M9.9 quake alert ...
- metropolisjapan.com — Japan 9.9 Earthquake Alert Retracted After System Error
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