You might have seen a social media post that recently went viral, claiming that a Japanese journalist filmed an iPhone 13 in 1980. The post includes visuals of a person holding a phone, allegedly recorded in 1980, depicting people exploring abandoned Hiroshima, where an individual discovers an iPhone and mistakes it for a mirror.
The Claim: A video recorded in 1980 shows a person discovering an iPhone 13.
The Fact: The visuals in question are from the 2023 Japanese series The Woman Who Knew Too Much. The series creators have clarified that it has no connection to Hiroshima and was made entirely in 2023. Therefore, the claim is false.
Verification Process
We decided to verify these visuals to understand the true nature of the video and its publication date. Using tools for verifying photos and videos, we discovered that the footage is part of a short Japanese series with five episodes, titled: “The Woman Who Knew Too Much – The Woman Called ‘Kiyoko Onoguchi’” (translated from Japanese to English).
“This video was produced in June 2023 and is a work of fiction. The video is not connected to any real people, place names, organizations, or real events,” clarifies the description accompanying the scenes shared on YouTube.
This series, released in June 2023, begins at the 03:40 mark with a scene featuring the man holding the iPhone.
Therefore, contrary to claims made in social media posts in our country, no iPhone was discovered in 1980. The video is a modern production, not evidence of time travel or anachronistic technology.
In summary, this viral video is a fictional creation, and any suggestions for finding an iPhone 13 in 1980 are entirely baseless.
A reverse image search of the screenshots from the viral video led to the original footage from the Japanese short series The Woman Who Knew Too Much—The Woman Called Kiyoko Onoguchi. This series was uploaded to the YouTube channel ‘Movie-is-TV’ on June 17, 2023, and is described as a fictional work. The creators confirmed that the video is a drama about a fictional incident set in Ehime, Japan, not Hiroshima. They expressed outrage over the misrepresentation linking it to Hiroshima.
Conclusion: The claim that a video recorded in 1980 shows an iPhone 13 is entirely false. The visuals are from a 2023 Japanese series, misrepresented to create a sensational narrative. This incident underscores the importance of verifying the authenticity of viral content on social media.
