Residents Evacuate Japan Islands After Series of Quakes

Dozens of residents have evacuated remote islands in southern Japan due to nearly 1,600 quakes in recent weeks, the local mayor said. The hardest-hit Akuseki island has not suffered major damage, even after a 5.1-magnitude quake. The continuous tremors since Jun 21 have caused severe stress to residents, leading many to lack sleep.

Of the 89 residents of Akuseki, 44 have evacuated to Kagoshima, while 15 left another nearby island. The area, comprising seven inhabited and five uninhabited islands, is an 11-hour ferry ride from Kagoshima. Seismologists have recorded 1,582 quakes in the area since Jun 21, possibly due to an underwater volcano and magma flows.

Mayor Kubo stated uncertainty about the future and duration of the tremors. A similar intense seismic period occurred in September 2023 with 346 earthquakes. Japan, a seismically active country, experiences about 1,500 quakes annually, being on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Some foreign tourists have avoided Japan due to social media rumors of an imminent major quake, fueled by a manga comic predicting a disaster on Jul 5, 2025, which did not occur.