Japan urges evacuation of small island as 1,000 quakes hit region

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Akuseki is part of the Tokara island chain south of Kyushu region, which has been rattled by 1,031 quakes since June 21.

PHOTO: REUTERS

TOKYO - Japanese authorities urged the 89 residents of a small southern island to evacuate after a strong earthquake on July 3, the latest of more than 1,000 recent jolts to hit the area.

Residents were urged to evacuate to “a school playground in Akuseki Island”, a municipal official told AFP.

Akuseki is part of the Tokara island chain south of Kyushu region, which has been rattled by 1,031 quakes since June 21.

No major damage has been reported.

After all residents were confirmed safe, the evacuation instruction was later lifted.

On July 3, a 5.5-magnitude quake struck near Akuseki. The previous day, a jolt of the same size was also recorded.

Seven of the 12 remote Tokara Islands are inhabited, with around 700 residents in total.

There was no tsunami risk from the July 3 quake, according to Mr Ayataka Ebita, director of the earthquake and tsunami observation division of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

“In areas where the tremors were strong, there is an increased risk of collapsed houses and landslides,” he told reporters.

“Please be aware of earthquakes of similar magnitude for the foreseeable future,” he said.

A similar period of intense seismic activity in the Tokara area occurred in September 2023, when 346 earthquakes were recorded, according to the JMA.

Japan is one of the world’s most seismically active countries, sitting on top of four major tectonic plates