▲ An AEON Mall in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, where parts of the building collapsed due to a strong earthquake.
Immediately following a magnitude 7.1 strong earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, false information such as fake news videos generated by generative artificial intelligence (AI) and false rescue requests has been spreading rapidly centered around social media (SNS).
According to NHK on the 29th, late at night on the 28th when the strong earthquake occurred, a post requesting rescue on X (formerly Twitter) reading "Save me. I am buried alive" garnered more than 300,000 views.
However, upon verification, the address provided by the author did not actually exist, and the account in question was found to have been suspended.
Fake news related to AEON Mall Kumamoto, a large shopping center located in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, where casualties occurred due to explosion damage from the earthquake, was also rampant.
Fake videos disguised as news reports from broadcasters using AI were posted on YouTube, recording tens of thousands of views.
On X and Threads, shopping mall footage from the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake was recirculated and distributed as if it were footage from this earthquake, while groundless hateful rumors such as "a foreigner started a fire" were also spreading.
Previously, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported that conspiracy-theory-like posts, such as claims that they "predicted the earthquake in advance" or that it was an "artificial earthquake," were posted one after another on social media immediately after the earthquake occurred.
In particular, a post claiming "I announced the prediction and got the location right" along with a map image exceeded 3.4 million views.
Furuta Daisuke, editor-in-chief of the Japan Fact-Check Center, urged, "When you encounter provocative information, please check its authenticity through announcements from public institutions or reports from media outlets, and do not spread uncertain information."
Local media and rescue authorities warned that if such misinformation spreads, it could seriously disrupt actual disaster relief and field response activities.
In Japan, false information that "lions escaped from a zoo" was circulated during the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, and rescue authorities experienced confusion due to false rescue requests during the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake as well.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.