A video circulating on social media claims to show footage of a powerful earthquake that struck Japan on April 20, 2026. The clip has been widely shared on platforms such as Facebook. However, we investigated and found the claim to be false.
Footage 1
A viral video widely shared on Facebook shows a road and neighborhood shaking, with captions claiming it depicts the recent earthquake April 20, 2026 earthquake in Japan.
Fact Check
We extracted key frames from the viral video and conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens. We identified the original source of the viral footage as a video published by MBS NEWS on YouTube.
The video was uploaded on January 11, 2024, and shows dashcam footage recorded during the January 1, 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture.
According to the video description, the footage was filmed from inside a moving vehicle in Anamizu Town at the moment the earthquake struck, capturing strong shaking, collapsing walls, and swaying power lines.
The 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake itself was a major disaster with a magnitude of around 7.5–7.6 and recorded a maximum seismic intensity of 7 in some areas.
Footage 2
Another video shared on Facebook shows buildings shaking and claims to depict the April 20, 2026 earthquake in Japan.
Fact Check
Our reverse image search found that the same video was posted on QQ, a Chinese social media platform, in 2025. Although we have not found the video’s original source, this post confirms that the footage predates the April 2026 earthquake.
What actually happened on April 20, 2026
Official data confirms that a strong earthquake struck northern Japan on April 20, 2026, at around 4:53 PM local time, with a magnitude estimated between 7.4 and 7.7.
The earthquake occurred offshore along the Sanriku coast and triggered tsunami warnings, with waves of up to around 80 cm observed in some areas. Authorities issued evacuation advisories, but there were no reports of major damage or casualties. (Source)
Conclusion
The videos above do not show the April 20, 2026 earthquake in Japan. Verified evidence shows that the both videos are from separate, earlier events.
Title: Viral videos do not show Japan’s April 20, 2026 earthquake
Fact Check By: Pranpreeya
Result: Misleading
