Disinformation abounds online in aftermath of Kumamoto quake

Disinformation and artificial intelligence-generated content have proliferated online following the July earthquake in Kumamoto, Japan. Political views and conspiracy theories were disseminated, with some false claims asserting that the earthquake never occurred and dismissing NHK footage as "fake." Others suggested that large white clouds above the city were evidence of a man-made disaster, with X posts shared thousands of times.

AI-generated images of a smoldering Aeon mall were circulated, alongside claims that the mall explosion, possibly caused by damaged gas pipes, was a hoax or part of a coverup. Politically motivated disinformation targeted foreign nationals, with conspiracy theories dismissing a story of Vietnamese residents rescuing an elderly woman trapped under rubble as "fake news."

These accounts alleged negative behavior from foreigners, such as robbery and arson, based on contextless video footage of individuals outside a convenience store. A man who had filmed the original video clarified that the onigiri were emergency supplies distributed to affected employees, and he removed the video and reported it to the police over concerns about anti-immigration sentiments.

Taiwan's swift support, including an offer to dispatch ground personnel if requested, also sparked misinformation, with images of Taiwanese support force patches widely shared on Instagram and X. In reality, the patches are pre-order products from a Taiwanese company donating funds to the Kumamoto Disaster Relief Special Account.

Fake news often spreads during large-scale disasters and conflicts; following the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, a fabricated story claimed a lion had escaped from the local zoo and was roaming the neighborhood. A 20-year-old man was arrested for sharing the falsehood, but charges were later dropped after he apologized.