FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show A New Year’s Fireworks Display In Japan?

A video shared on Facebook claims to show a New Year’s fireworks display in Japan.

Verdict: Misleading

The video shows digitally created fireworks, not an actual New Year’s 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.

“Japan New Years FireWorks are so [fire emoji],” reads text included in the video. (RELATED: Did The Japanese Movie ‘Akira’ 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, “FWsim Mount Fuji Synchronized Fireworks Show.” 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 Year’s Eve in Japan is “typically spent at home with family” and “countdown events are not all that common,” according to Tokyo Cheapo. An annual New Year’s Eve countdown at Tokyo’s 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 Year’s 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.

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