A 9.9 magnitude earthquake would have been the strongest ever recorded, releasing approximately 22 times more energy than the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. The US Geological Survey confirmed the actual magnitude of the event was 6.9, and authorities confirmed that no tsunami alerts were issued during the actual tremor.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
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Japan Rules Out Cyberattack After False 9.9 Magnitude Quake Alert
World4 days ago
Tokyo Disney parks entered emergency mode on Oct. 16 after a systems error triggered alarms for a record-breaking seismic event across Japan from Hokkaido to Tokyo. Internal logs from the Japan Meteorological Agency show a 6.9 magnitude quake off Kamchatka was misread as 7.3 and then 9.9 within 20 seconds, before the alert was withdrawn 8 minutes later. The agency has since ruled out a cyberattack as the cause of the malfunction.
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