Japan Meteorological Agency issues false ‘M9.9’ earthquake early warning, cancels it 8 minutes later; shinkansen halted
First seen · Oct 17, 4:04 AM (Seoul) · Last updated · Oct 17, 4:04 AM (Seoul)
On the afternoon of Oct. 16, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued an earthquake early warning for a magnitude 9.9 quake across a wide area from Hokkaido to Tokai, then canceled it about eight minutes later. The actual quake was a magnitude 6.9 off the Kamchatka Peninsula, and part of the Tokaido Shinkansen was briefly halted.
What happened
At around 12:40 p.m. on Oct. 16, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued an earthquake early warning for a wide area from Hokkaido to the Tokai region, saying a magnitude 9.9 quake had struck near the Kuril Islands, then withdrew it about eight minutes later. The actual quake was a magnitude 6.9 off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. It was the first time the agency had canceled such a warning.
Why it's trending
Mobile phone alerts went off simultaneously, causing confusion across the country. Power to the Tokaido Shinkansen was automatically cut, briefly halting service in both directions between Shin-Yokohama and Toyohashi until it resumed around 1 p.m., and online searches were also temporarily affected.
Reactions
The agency apologized and explained at a 2 p.m. press conference that it had “placed the epicenter in the Kuril Islands and overestimated the magnitude at 9.9.” It said the problem was that different epicenters had been used to calculate the magnitude and to forecast seismic intensity, and that a cyberattack was not the cause.
What to watch
The agency is still investigating why the overestimate occurred. Attention is on when it will release its findings and measures to prevent a recurrence.