China recently announced the testing of a maglev train capable of reaching speeds of up to 700 kmph within just two seconds. According to the National University of Defence Technology (NUDT) of China, the model was developed using magnetic levitation technology and weighs approximately one tonne. The test was conducted on a 400-metre (1,310-foot) maglev track, as stated by Li Jie, a professor at NUDT (here, here, here, and here).
In this context, a video (here, here and here) showing a high-speed train crossing a bridge within seconds, while people standing on a nearby bridge react in amazement, has gone viral on social media. The video is being shared as footage of China’s recent maglev train test. Let’s find the truth behind this video.
Claim: The viral video shows China’s recent maglev train test conducted in December 2025.
Fact: The video is not from China. It shows a 500 km/h maglev train test conducted in Japan in November 2024, much before China’s maglev test carried out a year later in December 2025. Hence, the claim is MISLEADING.
To verify the viral video, we conducted a reverse image search using its keyframes and found several social media posts featuring the same visuals (here, here, and here). These posts were uploaded online before China conducted its maglev test on 25 December 2025. Additionally, some users mentioned in the post descriptions that the footage is related to Japan.
Further keyword searches led us to an extended version of the same video published on the Nippon Television Railway Department’s YouTube channel on 9 November 2024. The footage shows a test run of a 500 km/h Maglev train in Japan.
We also found that the person seen expressing amazement at the train’s speed is Daisuke Fujita, a television journalist with Japan’s Nippon Television News. He later shared photos from the 500 km/h Maglev train test run conducted in Japan in November 2024 on his Instagram handle. While videos of China’s maglev testing are currently circulating on social media (here, here and here), the visuals in this viral claim have no connection to China or its recent maglev tests.
To sum up, this video of a maglev train test from Japan is being shared as footage from China’s recent maglev experiment.
