Latest news with #AkusekiIsland
Japan Times
3 days ago
- Japan Times
Evacuees from quake-hit Tokara Islands to return
Evacuees from the Tokara Islands, hit by a series of earthquakes, are expected to head home starting as early as Friday night, local officials said Tuesday. There are currently nine evacuees from the Tokara Islands off Kagoshima Prefecture, including Akuseki Island, according to authorities of Toshima, a village that includes the islands. Seismic activity near the islands has slowed in recent days, paving the way for the islanders to return, the officials of the village said. The village government is considering providing subsidies for livelihood support to all households on Akuseki Island and also Kodakara Island, another island in the Tokara chain. There have been over 2,200 earthquakes strong enough to be felt around the Tokara Islands since seismic activity intensified on June 21. The biggest was a quake measuring lower 6, the third highest on the Japanese scale, that struck on July 3. The number of earthquakes has lowered since Thursday. But the Meteorological Agency has warned people to stay alert for an earthquake around lower 6.
Japan Times
06-07-2025
- Japan Times
More residents evacuate quake-hit remote islands in Japan
A total of 46 evacuees left Akuseki and Kodakara islands aboard a ferry Sunday morning from the village of Toshima, in Kagoshima Prefecture, after a series of strong earthquakes rocked the Tokara island chain. The ferry, operated by the village, was scheduled to arrive at Kagoshima Port in the prefectural capital of Kagoshima later in the day. This is the second time that residents of Akuseki Island have evacuated, but the first time for those from Kodakara Island. The series of earthquakes with their epicenters in the seas around the Tokara chain began on June 21. A jolt measuring lower 6, the third highest on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, was observed on Akuseki Island on Thursday. This helped prompt 13 residents of the island to evacuate via a ferry to the city of Kagoshima on Friday. Akuseki Island experienced earthquakes measuring an upper 5 on Saturday and Sunday. Kodakara, located close to Akuseki, has also been hit by many earthquakes, including one that measured lower 5 on Wednesday.
Japan Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Residents of the Tokara Islands in the village of Toshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, began evacuating Friday morning following a powerful magnitude 5.5 earthquake that struck a day earlier, which registered a lower 6 on Japan's seven-point shindo seismic intensity scale — the highest ever recorded in the region. No injuries were reported among the 76 residents of Akuseki Island, where the tremor measuring lower 6 on the shindo scale hit at 4:13 p.m. Thursday. However, local officials are offering voluntary evacuation to the city of Kagoshima amid the ongoing earthquakes. The initial evacuation period is set for about a week but may be extended depending on future seismic activity, Toshima Village Mayor Genichiro Kubo said Thursday during a news conference at the village office in the city of Kagoshima. The first group of 13 evacuees — comprising six elementary and junior high school students and seven others ranging in age from infancy to 80 years old — left Akuseki Island Friday morning aboard a village-operated ferry. The vessel is expected to arrive at Kagoshima Port at around 6 p.m. At a news conference on Friday morning, Kubo said that the village is currently accepting applications for a second round of departures, which is scheduled for Sunday morning. The Tokara Islands have been rattled by a swarm of earthquakes since June 21. As of Thursday morning, more than 1,000 tremors with intensities of 1 or greater had been recorded, including the lower 6 jolt and three temblors measuring lower 5. Shindo 4 quakes were observed again Friday, at 9:03 a.m and at 12:20 p.m. While the region is historically quake-prone, this recent swarm marks the most intense seismic activity in the area since 1995. Immediately following Thursday's major quake, the central government established a crisis management center at the Prime Minister's Office. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said no deaths or injuries had been reported but warned of possible hidden damage on properties. Ishiba said he had instructed relevant ministries and agencies to survey the damage and implement emergency measures. Even though the nation is in the midst of an election campaign, he said the government is ensuring that all necessary measures are being taken.
Al Arabiya
03-07-2025
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes southwestern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 hit southwestern Japan on Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The earthquake's epicenter was off the coast of the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima prefecture nearly 1,200 kilometers away from Tokyo, the agency said, adding that a tsunami warning had not been issued. Seismic intensity of '6 lower' on Japan's 1-7 scale was observed at Akuseki Island, the agency said. Developing
