CLAIM: A dashcam video circulating on social media on April 20, 2026 shows “chaos in Japan after a massive 7.4-magnitude earthquake,” with falling debris as tremors shake the street.
VERIFICATION
The video is real but miscaptioned and outdated. The dashcam footage was captured in Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture during the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on January 1, 2024, not April 2026.
Japanese media outlets like the Yomiuri Shimbun and social welfare corporation Chojukai posted it in Jan–Feb 2024. The earthquake with a magnitude 7.6 event that killed at least 168 people in central Japan.
However, Japan witnessed earthquake off the northeastern coast on April 20, 2026. JMA initially reported 7.5, later revised to 7.7. It triggered tsunami warnings and 80cm waves, but caused no major damage or reported casualties.
VERDICT
The video is authentic footage from the January 1, 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake. Reposting it as evidence of the April 20, 2026 earthquake is misleading. The April 20 quake was real, but this video is unrelated and it is miscaptioned.
