Fact Check: Tsunami hit Japan in 2025? No, video is from 2011

Hyderabad: A video showing a massive tsunami wave toppling cars and buses is circulating on social media with the claim that it is from Japan in 2025.

A Facebook user shared the video with the caption “Japan Tsunami” (translated from Tamil). The text overlay on the video reads, “1 minute before tsunami hit Japan 2025.”

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the viral video is old and unrelated to any recent event. It shows the tsunami that hit Miyako City, Japan, on March 11, 2011.

A reverse image search led us to a YouTube video uploaded by the Associated Press (AP) on March 14, 2011, titled ‘Raw Video: Tsunami Wave Smashes Boats and Cars.’

The video description reads, “Dramatic new footage shows a tsunami wave smashing into the Japanese town of Miyako on March 11, 2011. The wave crashes over the seawall, carrying away everything in its path, including cars and boats.” The footage was credited to ANN.

Further, we found the same video uploaded by ANN News on YouTube on January 17, 2020, with the title ‘Tsunami, Great East Japan Earthquake – Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture, Japan [11 Mar 2011].’

A timestamp comparison confirmed that the viral video matched the one in ANN’s footage at the 2:48-minute mark. Here are the similarities in both videos that confirmed that both contained the same footage.

Additionally, through a keyword search, we found a Reuters report published on March 6, 2015, titled ‘Trip Tips: Japan’s coastal Miyako City puts tsunami behind it.’

The report mentioned that Miyako, a coastal city in northeastern Japan, was known for its salmon and oysters before the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami devastated the region.

Hence, the viral claim that the video shows a tsunami in Japan in 2025 is false. The footage is from 2011.