WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Videos show earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan on April 20, 2026.
OUR VERDICT
False. The footage is several years old.
AAP FACTCHECK - Dramatic videos on social media showing tsunami waves hitting Japan after a recent magnitude 7.5 earthquake off the coast are actually years old.
The clips have spread on social media, including among Australian users, after the Japanese Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning following the earthquake on April 20, 2026.
However, the footage dates back to 2011 and 2024.
One Facebook post depicts floodwaters washing a white van sideways down a road.
A blue sign featuring Japanese script is visible on the left and people can be heard speaking Japanese.
"Powerful earthquake strikes northeastern Japan, triggering tsunami," the post reads.
However, the video doesn't show a recent tsunami. It actually depicts the wave triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Japan's east coast in 2011.
Parts of the clip were posted on YouTube in 2011 by the UK's Channel 4 News and clearly show the same blue sign on the left of the frame (timestamp 36 seconds).
The same white vehicle is also shown being pushed down the street (timestamp 0:38).
The full clip was also uploaded to YouTube in 2011 by a user who claimed it was taken by their father.
The original video was filmed at an intersection in the coastal city of Kesennuma and is visible on Google Maps Street View.
Another Facebook post shares dashcam footage purporting to show a Japanese intersection during the April 2026 earthquake.
The frame shakes, then the street ruptures and a person can be heard screaming before speaking Japanese.
"WATCH | SOME OF THE VIDEOS OF THE 7.4 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE IN JAPAN," the Facebook post reads.
"One of the alleged footage of the 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan just this afternoon, April 20, 2026."
But the video actually shows an earthquake in the Japanese town of Anamizu in 2024.
The buildings, the street rupture (timestamp 0:30) and the audio match footage uploaded to YouTube by Japan's MBS News in 2024.
The video shows an intersection in Anamizu, which is visible on Google Maps Street View.
Another Facebook post includes footage of tsunami waves crashing over a car park and carrying away vehicles and claims it was shot in April 2026.
"After 7.5 magnitude earthquake in japan last Monday 222, this is the real tsunami not AI," the post reads.
But the video actually shows a tsunami in Ishinomaki, Japan, in 2011.
The footage matches a video uploaded by the Japan Tsunami Archives YouTube channel in 2022, which states it was shot from an office rooftop in Ishinomaki.
The location in the video can be seen on Google Maps Street View imagery from August 2011, six months after the tsunami.
The carpark in the video is not visible in the imagery, but other notable landmarks match the footage, including blue gas storage facilities beside the office block.
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