FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show A New Yearâs Fireworks Display In Japan?
A video shared on Facebook claims to show a New Yearâs fireworks display in Japan.
Verdict: Misleading
The video shows digitally created fireworks, not an actual New Yearâs fireworks show in Japan.
Fact Check:
Countries all over the world celebrated the coming of the new year with fireworks and other festivities, according to DW. One video shared on Facebook claims to show a large fireworks show that occurred in Japan in celebration of the new year.
âJapan New Years FireWorks are so [fire emoji],â reads text included in the video. (RELATED: Did The Japanese Movie âAkiraâ Predict The Coronavirus Outbreak?)
The video, however, does not show a real fireworks display that occurred in Japan. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found the same video was shared on Youtube in November 2014, with the title, âFWsim Mount Fuji Synchronized Fireworks Show.â FWsim is a simulation software that allows users to create realistic-looking, computer-generated videos of fireworks. Its website features several fireworks simulation videos set in a variety of locations around the world.
New Yearâs Eve in Japan is âtypically spent at home with familyâ and âcountdown events are not all that common,â according to Tokyo Cheapo. An annual New Yearâs Eve countdown at Tokyoâs Shibuya crossing was canceled this year due to concerns about COVID-19, Sky News reported. Many people this year visited temples and shrines on New Yearâs Eve, according to Japan Today.
Check Your Fact previously debunked a video in 2020 claiming to show fireworks during the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The video was also created using the FWsim software.