More Than 900 Earthquakes Shake Japan’s Remote Tokara Islands

More than 900 earthquakes have hit a group of small islands in southern Japan over the last two weeks. These islands are called the Tokara Islands. Not many people live there, but the ones who do are very worried. The earthquakes have made it hard for them to sleep at night.

On Wednesday, a strong earthquake of magnitude 5.5 hit the area. Since 21 June, the sea around the Tokara Islands has been “very active” with shaking, said Japan’s weather agency.

So far, there has been no damage, and no tsunami warning has been given. But the government has told people to be ready in case they need to leave their homes quickly.

One local resident told the news, “It’s scary to even fall asleep. It feels like everything is shaking all the time.”

The Tokara Islands have had earthquakes before, but this time, the shaking is happening more often than usual. This has made people very nervous.

Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. It lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where many tectonic plates meet. Japan experiences about 1,500 earthquakes every year.

Around 700 people live on seven of the 12 Tokara Islands. Some of the islands don’t even have hospitals. The closest hospital is in Kagoshima, and it takes six hours to get there by ferry.

A woman named Chizuko Arikawa, who lives on Akusekijima Island, said, “You can hear a strange noise from the ocean before the quake hits. Especially at night, it’s very scary.” She and her husband run a cattle farm by the sea. “We’re all tired. We just want it to stop,” she said.

Another resident, Isamu Sakamoto, who leads the local residents’ group, said, “The earthquake starts with a sudden jolt from below, and then the house shakes. It makes you feel sick.” He added that after so many quakes, it even feels like the ground is shaking when it’s not.

In the nearby village of Toshima, many people are tired and have not been sleeping well. The local government asked the media not to bother residents with too many phone calls or interviews. A notice on the village website asked people to be considerate.

Because of the earthquakes, some guesthouses on the islands have stopped accepting tourists. The local government said these buildings might be used as shelters if people need to leave their homes.

At the same time, there have been rumors across Japan about a big, deadly earthquake coming soon. This fear came from a 1999 comic book by manga artist Ryo Tatsuki. In the book’s 2021 edition, she said the next huge quake would happen on 5 July this year.

This prediction has scared some tourists, and many have canceled their trips.

Most earthquakes in Japan are small, but some are very dangerous. In 2011, a strong quake caused a massive tsunami that killed over 18,000 people.

The Japanese government fears another “big one” could come someday. Experts say such a quake could kill more than 300,000 people. This week, the government urged people to build stronger buildings and make better evacuation plans to prepare for future disasters.