"Catastrophic-level earthquake occurs → Shocking scene at Japan's Paragames" But it was a false alarm? Distrust accumulated since the Asian Games has grown even larger

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

A magnitude 9.9 earthquake. No earthquake this powerful has ever occurred in human history. While Yaya Stadium, where a badminton match was underway, and the entire region of Taiwan were plunged into shock, it was later revealed to be an absurd false alarm.

On the 16th, Taiwanese media outlet ET Today reported, "A magnitude 9.9 earthquake alert sounded loudly but was withdrawn within nine minutes. It was a false alarm that occurred at Yaya Stadium."

At 2:00 p.m. on that day, an earthquake alert rang out near Yaya Stadium, where the badminton events of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Paragames were being held.

According to Now News, Japan's Korea Meteorological Administration issued an emergency earthquake warning at approximately 12:40 p.m. local time, stating that a powerful magnitude 9.9 earthquake could occur in the Kuril Islands region.

Given that Japan is prone to earthquakes, everyone had no choice but to be on high alert. The magnitude was a staggering 9.9. The most powerful earthquake in human history was the magnitude 9.5 quake that struck Valdivia, Chile, in 1960, which is estimated to have killed nearly 6,000 people due to the earthquake and resulting tsunami, and displaced more than two million people. Two days after the powerful earthquake, the Cordón Caulle volcano in the Andes erupted, spewing volcanic ash into the sky for several weeks.

As a result of the earthquake's aftermath, a massive tsunami up to 25 meters high struck the Chilean coast, and this wave spread across all of Pyongyang.

Therefore, everyone who heard the alert had no choice but to fall into confusion. It was not a level at which damage could be reduced by evacuating or taking special precautions. If an earthquake of even greater magnitude than the 1960 Chilean earthquake were to occur, the damage would inevitably be devastating, even for Japan, which is well-prepared for earthquakes.

According to the media, the alert area was extensive, covering Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, and even the Tokai region. At the time, numerous reporters from various countries were on-site to cover the Paragames, but they too fell into panic just the same.

They discussed whether they should evacuate as per the alert's contents, but no significant shaking was felt even after several minutes passed. Fortunately, it was confirmed that the earthquake was not real.

Nine minutes after the alert was issued, Japan's Korea Meteorological Administration officially lifted the earthquake warning and announced its cancellation. ET Today reported, "All foreign media and staff on-site let out a sigh of relief, but the sudden 'false alarm' caused confusion and commotion at the scene."

It was not that there was no earthquake at all. Japan's Korea Meteorological Administration later reported that an earthquake occurred around 12:38 p.m. on the 16th in waters near the northernmost part of the Kuril Islands, close to Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. However, there was no major damage. The media explained, "The magnitude was estimated at 6.9, but within Japan, only weak shaking with an intensity of 1 was observed in Hakodate, Hokkaido, and no strong shaking was reported in the wide area where the alert had been issued."

According to the media, the automatically designed earthquake warning system is intended to provide warnings before powerful waves arrive, but misjudgments or false alarms can rarely occur. Japan's Korea Meteorological Administration has launched an in-depth investigation into why the system automatically determined a magnitude of 9.9 and issued alerts in multiple regions.

Ultimately, a Korea Meteorological Administration official appeared at a press conference to retract the false alarm and bowed his head in apology.

This incident further increased distrust toward Japan. Already criticized for poor management that caused various complaints starting from the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, this massive earthquake 'false alarm' became an opportunity to further fuel such distrust.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original