![A breaking news alert about a magnitude 9.9 earthquake. [Screenshot via X]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/10/16/news-p.v1.20261016.2e702437b94f45cb8b8104a807c886d7_P1.jpg)
Japan's Meteorological Agency triggered widespread alarm Friday after issuing an emergency earthquake alert warning of a magnitude 9.9 tremor — only to cancel it eight minutes later. The actual earthquake that prompted the alert measured magnitude 6.9, and the maximum seismic intensity recorded in Japan was just 1.
According to Fuji News Network and other Japanese media, the agency issued the emergency earthquake alert around 12:40 p.m. Friday, covering a broad swath of the country stretching from Hokkaido to the Tokai region. The alert estimated the quake's magnitude at 9.9 and warned of maximum shaking intensity of 7.
A magnitude 9.9 earthquake would surpass the most powerful tremor ever recorded — the 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile, which measured magnitude 9.5. Such a quake would release more than 20 times the energy of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Emergency alerts went out via smartphones and the J-Alert nationwide warning system to eastern Japan, including Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Hokuriku, Tokai and the Izu Islands. The Tokaido Shinkansen briefly suspended service after a power cutoff, adding to the confusion.
The agency canceled the alert at around 12:48 p.m., about eight minutes after it was issued, after no strong shaking was actually observed.
The earthquake that triggered the alert was later identified as a magnitude 6.9 tremor that struck near the Kamchatka Peninsula at around 12:36 p.m. A maximum seismic intensity of 1 was recorded in Hakodate, Hokkaido, and no tsunami threat was reported.
The false alarm drew a wave of reactions on Japanese SNS. "I've never seen an emergency earthquake alert get canceled before," one user wrote, while another said, "I'm just glad it was a false alarm." Many users also complained that the cancellation notice sounded nearly identical to the original alert. "That's not good for your heart," one wrote, with others questioning whether the retraction needed to use the same alarm tone.
The agency held a press conference at 2 p.m. Friday to explain how the erroneous alert was issued. Officials said the agency had incorrectly determined the earthquake's epicenter and significantly overestimated its magnitude, adding that the specific cause was still under investigation.
"We will inform the public as soon as the cause is identified," the agency said. "We sincerely apologize for the great inconvenience caused."
bbo@heraldcorp.com
