A Korean-language YouTube video with more than 250,000 views has been shared in Facebook posts that claim the iconic Tokyo Tower in Japan was damaged by a massive explosion on May 29, 2022. However, the claim is false; a spokesperson from the company that operates the tower told AFP no such explosion occurred. There have been no reports or official announcements about any major accident in the vicinity of the tower.

The video was posted to YouTube here on May 30, 2022.

"Tokyo Tower explosion. Kishida Fumio's face went pale from shock," the Korean-language title reads, referencing Japan's prime minister.

Korean-language narration claims the explosion occurred in "an underground machine room below Tokyo Tower for unknown reasons" on May 29, distorting several sections of the tower by a few degrees.

The narrator claims 18 people were severely burned in the purported explosion, which "destabilised the ground", causing it to crack or rise up in neighbourhoods around the tower.

The 12-minute video contains various stock images and footage of Tokyo Tower and the capital city, as well as clips unrelated to Japan or the claim.

The Tokyo Tower, located in Japan's capital, was completed in 1958 as a broadcasting tower and observatory that draws 10,000 tourists a day, according to the government.

The YouTube video link has also been shared in Facebook posts here, here, here and here.

Comments on the YouTube video indicated several users believed the claim was genuine.

"Accidents seem...

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