According to reports by the Japan News and Japanese television stations on October 16, the Japan Meteorological Agency mistakenly issued an emergency alert for a 9.9 magnitude earthquake, predicting that the maximum earthquake intensity in some areas could reach level 7, which is the highest on the Japanese scale. However, this alert was revoked just eight minutes later.
At 12:40 local time on the 16th, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued an emergency earthquake warning, stating that a magnitude 9.9 earthquake had occurred near the Kuril Islands, and strong shaking was possible in large areas from Hokkaido to central Japan. The warning was widely spread through mobile phones and other channels, causing public anxiety.
But in fact, around 12:38 that day, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurred near the Khabarovsk Peninsula in Russia. In Japan, only Hakodate City in Hokkaido observed a minor shaking with a seismic intensity of 1, and no tsunami warnings were issued.
The Japan Meteorological Agency subsequently admitted that the system severely overestimated the magnitude of the earthquake, leading to incorrect warnings. The agency apologized for this mistake. It was stated that this was the first time in Japan that an emergency earthquake warning had been rescinded. The specific reasons are still being investigated, and the possibility of a cyberattack has been ruled out.
