J-Alert is Japan's nationwide satellite based emergency warning system, launched in 2007 to send instant alerts for earthquakes, severe weather and missile launches. It became widely recognised outside Japan during North Korean missile tests in 2017, when alerts interrupted broadcasts and phones across northern Japan. Clips of the alarm later circulated on video platforms and soundboards as a shorthand for extreme overreaction and incoming disaster. Because the tone is so distinctive and official sounding, it remains popular for edits that pretend a minor event needs a government level warning.