Latest news with #AyatakaEbita
an hour ago
- Climate
Another Strong Quake Hits off Tokara Islands
Kagoshima/Tokyo, July 5 (Jiji Press)--An earthquake measuring up to upper 5, fourth highest on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, struck Saturday morning off Akusekijima, one of the Tokara Islands in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kagoshima, following a series of tremors that have continued in the region since late last month. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the earthquake that occurred at 6:29 a.m. Saturday had a magnitude of 5.4, with an epicenter located southwest of Akusekijima in the village of Toshima, Kagoshima, at a depth of about 19 kilometers. The epicenter was almost the same as that of the 5.1 magnitude earthquake measuring up to lower 5 that occurred in the same area around dawn on Wednesday. This morning's quake "occurred amid a series of seismic activities, so there is nothing unusual," Ayataka Ebita, director of the agency's Earthquake and Tsunami Observation Division, told a press conference in Tokyo on Saturday, calling on people in the region to beware of possible earthquakes with intensities of around lower 6. As of Saturday morning, the Tokara Islands had been hit by more than 1,300 quakes strong enough to be felt since June 21. Tremors measuring 4 also hit the area on Saturday. As to whether the rumors on social media that a major earthquake would occur in Japan on Saturday came true, Ebita said: "It's a complete coincidence. With the current scientific knowledge, it is difficult to predict an earthquake by specifying the date, time, location and scale." [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Japan Today
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Authorities say latest quake not connected to viral manga prediction
A sales banner written by the store reading "Whether you believe it or not is up to you" is displayed next to the comic book titled "The Future I saw," authored by manga artist Ryo Tatsuki, on the shelf at the book store Village Vanguard in Tokyo on June 30. Japan's weather agency said an earthquake that rattled small islands in the nation's southwest on Saturday was in no way connected to a manga author's disaster prediction that went viral on social media. "It is absolutely a coincidence. There is no causal connection," Ayataka Ebita of the Japan Meteorological Agency told a press conference. Earlier in the day, a temblor with a preliminary magnitude of 5.4 struck off the Tokara island chain, the latest in a series of seismic events in the area. Speculation has spread that Japan will be hit by a major disaster in July -- specifically on Saturday, July 5 -- based on a prediction made in "The Future I Saw," a manga authored by Japanese artist Ryo Tatsuki. Tatsuki gained a profile after her prediction of a "major calamity" in March 2011 coincided with a catastrophic quake-tsunami that struck Japan's northeast and led to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. Ebita said current science is unable to accurately predict earthquakes, and any that appear to fit the manga's prediction are purely coincidental. "In Japan, earthquakes can happen at any time. Please be prepared always," he added. The quake on Saturday occurred at 6:29 a.m. at a depth of about 19 kilometers, and no tsunami warning was issued. It measured upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, the agency said. The magnitude and depth of the quake's focus were revised from 5.3 and 20 km, respectively. The number of quakes detected in the Tokara island chain area has exceeded 1,300 since June 21. A temblor with a magnitude of 5.5, measuring lower 6 of the Japanese scale, jolted the area Thursday. Around a dozen residents evacuated from Akuseki Island, which has experienced strong shaking throughout the period of instability, to Kagoshima on the main island of Kyushu via ferry on Friday. Akuseki Island has an area of less than 8 square kilometers and a population of 89, according to the local government. © KYODO
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Japan braces for more quakes, authorities dismiss doomsday hype
TOKYO: Japan's government on Saturday (Jul 5) warned of more possible strong earthquakes in waters southwest of its main islands, but urged the public not to believe unfounded predictions of a major disaster. Authorities on Friday evacuated some residents from remote islands close to the epicentre of a 5.5-magnitude quake off the tip of the southernmost main island of Kyushu. That quake on Thursday, strong enough to make standing difficult, was one of more than 1,000 tremors in the islands of Kagoshima prefecture in the past two weeks that have fuelled rumours stemming from a comic book prediction that a major disaster would befall the country this month. "With our current scientific knowledge, it's difficult to predict the exact time, place or scale of an earthquake," said Ayataka Ebita, director of the Japan Meteorological Agency's earthquake and tsunami monitoring division, after a 5.4-magnitude quake shook the area again on Saturday. "We ask that people base their understanding on scientific evidence," Ebita told a press conference. The manga, which some have interpreted as predicting a catastrophic event on Saturday, has prompted some travellers to avoid Japan. Arrivals from Hong Kong, where the rumours have circulated widely, were down 11 per cent in May from the same month last year, according to the latest data. Japan has had record visitor numbers this year, with April setting an record monthly high of 3.9 million travellers. Ryo Tatsuki, the artist behind the manga "The Future I Saw", first published in 1999 and re-released in 2021, said she was "not a prophet", in a statement issued by her publisher. Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. It accounts for about one-fifth of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
Business Times
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Business Times
Japan braces for more quakes, authorities dismiss doomsday hype
[TOKYO] Japan's government on Saturday (Jul 5) warned of more possible strong earthquakes in waters southwest of its main islands, but urged the public not to believe unfounded predictions of a major disaster. Authorities on Friday evacuated some residents from remote islands close to the epicentre of a 5.5-magnitude quake off the tip of the southernmost main island of Kyushu. That quake on Thursday, strong enough to make standing difficult, was one of more than 1,000 tremors in the islands of Kagoshima prefecture in the past two weeks that have fuelled rumours stemming from a comic book prediction that a major disaster would befall the country this month. 'With our current scientific knowledge, it's difficult to predict the exact time, place or scale of an earthquake,' said Ayataka Ebita, director of the Japan Meteorological Agency's earthquake and tsunami monitoring division, after a 5.4-magnitude quake shook the area again on Saturday. 'We ask that people base their understanding on scientific evidence,' Ebita told a press conference. The manga, which some have interpreted as predicting a catastrophic event on Saturday, has prompted some travellers to avoid Japan. Arrivals from Hong Kong, where the rumours have circulated widely, were down 11 per cent in May from the same month last year, according to the latest data. Japan has had record visitor numbers this year, with April setting an record monthly high of 3.9 million travellers. Ryo Tatsuki, the artist behind the manga The Future I Saw, first published in 1999 and re-released in 2021, said she was 'not a prophet', in a statement issued by her publisher. Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. It accounts for about one-fifth of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater. REUTERS
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Japan braces for more quakes, authorities dismiss doomsday hype
TOKYO: Japan's government on Saturday warned of more possible strong earthquakes in waters southwest of its main islands, but urged the public not to believe unfounded predictions of a major disaster. Authorities on Friday evacuated some residents from remote islands close to the epicentre of a 5.5-magnitude quake off the tip of the southernmost main island of Kyushu. That quake on Thursday, strong enough to make standing difficult, was one of more than 1,000 tremors in the islands of Kagoshima prefecture in the past two weeks that have fuelled rumours stemming from a comic book prediction that a major disaster would befall the country this month. 'With our current scientific knowledge, it's difficult to predict the exact time, place or scale of an earthquake,' said Ayataka Ebita, director of the Japan Meteorological Agency's earthquake and tsunami monitoring division, after a 5.4-magnitude quake shook the area again on Saturday. 'We ask that people base their understanding on scientific evidence,' Ebita told a press conference. The manga, which some have interpreted as predicting a catastrophic event on Saturday, has prompted some travellers to avoid Japan. Arrivals from Hong Kong, where the rumours have circulated widely, were down 11% in May from the same month last year, according to the latest data. Japan has had record visitor numbers this year, with April setting an record monthly high of 3.9 million travellers. Ryo Tatsuki, the artist behind the manga 'The Future I Saw', first published in 1999 and re-released in 2021, said she was 'not a prophet', in a statement issued by her publisher. Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. It accounts for about one-fifth of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater. (Reporting by Tim Kelly in Tokyo; Editing by William Mallard)
