Japan Withdraws Erroneous Magnitude 9.9 Earthquake Alert, Disrupting Transport

Japan's meteorological agency on October 17 withdrew an earthquake alert issued in error that cited a magnitude of 9.9, according to Kyodo News.

According to initial information, the alert was sent out by the system for a short period before authorities determined it was erroneous and cancelled it.

The mistaken earthquake alert affected transport operations in some areas, as transport services were forced to suspend or adjust schedules to carry out safety checks.

Japan's meteorological agency said it is looking into the cause of the incident and will take measures to prevent a repeat. There is currently no information on damage caused by the incident.