False Earthquake Alert Sparks Panic Across Japan

The photo reads: Breaking News (or Urgent Bulletin 速報), Emergency Earthquake Warning Canceled (緊急地震速報 取り消し). 

Shortly after lunchtime today, emergency earthquake alerts suddenly sounded across Japan, warning of what appeared to be an enormous earthquake. Phones blared, television broadcasts switched to emergency coverage, and many people prepared for strong shaking. For a few tense minutes, it seemed as though a major disaster might be about to unfold.

The alert was later traced to a real magnitude 6.9 earthquake that occurred off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, but the Japan Meteorological Agency's system incorrectly estimated the location and size of the quake. By 12:48 p.m., the warning had been withdrawn. Officials stated that a cyberattack was not believed to be the cause and that an investigation is ongoing.

Even though no significant shaking was recorded in Japan, the incident left many people feeling rattled. Some train services were temporarily affected, while countless residents paused what they were doing to check their phones and brace for a quake that - thankfully - never arrived.