Japan retracts mistaken magnitude 9.9 earthquake alert after eight minutes
Japan’s weather agency corrected its warning after a magnitude 6.9 quake near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. The alert reached millions of phones and briefly stopped trams in Sapporo.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency cancelled a mistaken magnitude 9.9 earthquake alert eight minutes after issuing it across northern and central Japan on October 16. The agency later identified a magnitude 6.9 quake near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, while the warning had reached millions of mobile phones and briefly stopped trams in Sapporo.
How the earthquake warning went wrong
The agency issued the warning at 12:40 p.m. local time for what it initially said was an earthquake near the Kuril Islands, known in Japan as the Chishima Islands. People received alerts on smartphones and through television, radio and municipal public address systems, according to Kyodo News, whose report was carried by The Straits Times.
The agency said the quake actually occurred near Kamchatka at a depth of about 160 kilometres. It attributed the false estimate to an error in calculating the earthquake’s focus. According to AFP’s report carried by Channel NewsAsia, the mistaken calculation placed the epicentre about 680 kilometres farther from Japan than it was.
The warning told people to prepare for Level 7 shaking, the highest level on Japan’s intensity scale. The strongest shaking recorded was Level 1 in Hakodate, on the southern part of Hokkaido, the agency said, according to Kyodo News.
Transport disruption and officials’ response
Fourteen tram trains in Sapporo stopped for several minutes after the warning, then resumed when their operator considered it safe, Kyodo News reported. Tokaido Shinkansen bullet trains were also temporarily suspended between Shin-Yokohama and Toyohashi, but operator JR Central said the quake warning was not the direct cause of that suspension.
Japan Meteorological Agency official Shinya Tsukada apologised for the concern and inconvenience caused. ‘We deeply apologise for the significant inconvenience and concern caused to the public,’ he told reporters, according to AFP.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the government was taking the matter seriously. He acknowledged the burden on people who sought shelter or took steps to protect themselves, as well as on affected transport systems and businesses, Kyodo News reported.
Hokkaido and surrounding areas are among the places where the agency has urged people to prepare for a potential major earthquake along the Japan Trench and Chishima Trench. The country also experienced a magnitude 9.0 undersea quake in 2011 that triggered a tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear disaster; AFP reported that about 18,500 people were killed or left missing.
Read in depth: World
First Guangdong yachts arrive in Hong Kong under new southbound scheme
Five yachts from Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Guangzhou entered Hong Kong under new cross-boundary rules for mainland leisure vessels.
UK ban on specified strangulation and incest pornography takes effect in November
The government says new offences covering possession and publication of specified pornography will take effect in England and Wales on 6 November.
Sources and context
- Japan retracts mistaken magnitude 9.9 quake alertChannel NewsAsia; source credit: AFP
- Japan’s weather agency cancels mistakenly issued 9.9-magnitude quake alert, transit disruptedThe Straits Times; source credit: Kyodo News
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.