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Asahi Shimbun
an hour ago
- Asahi Shimbun
More islanders scramble to quit Akusekijima after earthquake
The first batch of evacuees from Akusekijima island arrive at Kagoshima city on July 4. (Masaru Komiyaji) TOSHIMA, Kagoshima Prefecture--More residents have decided to flee Akusekijima island after yet another strong earthquake. The latest temblor early on July 5 registered upper 5 on the Japanese intensity scale of 7. It apparently was sufficiently powerful to prompt an additional 20 or so islanders to conclude it was time to leave. The island in the remote and sparsely populated Tokara chain in southern Japan has been hit by hundreds of smaller quakes in the past two weeks. The first batch of evacuees, 13 in all, boarded a ferry to the mainland on July 4. Toshima Mayor Genichiro Kubo told a July 5 news conference in Kagoshima city that 20 more islanders wanted to leave. As of 5 p.m. on July 4, only two islanders said they wanted to evacuate from Akusekijima. Then the quake of upper 5 hit around 6:29 a.m. on July 5. Although there were no injuries, the temblor amounted to writing on the wall for some. The second batch of evacuees is expected to board the ferry to Kagoshima city on July 6. The population of Akusekijima as of early July 5 came to 59. The figure included village government officials and police officers. Ayataka Ebita, the head of the Japan Meteorological Agency's Earthquake and Tsunami Observation Division, urged islanders during a July 5 news conference to remain vigilant, warning that another quake as intense as lower 6 may strike in the next few days. Ebita added that it was pure coincidence an upper 5 quake struck on July 5, the date on which social media posts both in Japan and overseas had predicted a major earthquake would hit Japan. He noted that Japan on average records about 2,000 quakes annually. The 13 islanders who reached Kagoshima city on the evening of July 4 expressed relief. Some said they would get their first proper sleep in more than a week. The ferry took about 10 hours to cover roughly 250 kilometers to Kagoshima city. Mika Arikawa, 50, was in the first batch of evacuees. She said the daily quakes had kept her shaken and worried.
Yomiuri Shimbun
5 hours ago
- Climate
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Kagoshima Island to Evacuate More Residents After Strong Quake; Meteorological Agency Stresses Importance of Preparation
A strong earthquake measuring upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 hit Akusekijima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture on Saturday morning, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The quake with an estimated magnitude of 5.4 occurred around the Tokara Islands, which includes Akusekijima, in the prefecture at 6:29 a.m. The focus was under the sea at a depth of about 19 kilometers, and no tsunami was observed, the agency said. Between June 21 and Saturday at 7 a.m., a total of 1,303 earthquakes measuring 1 or stronger on the Japanese seismic intensity scale have been recorded in the area. On Thursday, an earthquake measuring lower 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale struck the island. At a press conference on Saturday morning, an official of the agency urged people to be on alert for earthquakes of a similar scale as Saturday's. The agency also dismissed rumors about a possible major earthquake in July, stating that it is difficult to predict the date, location and scale of earthquakes under current scientific knowledge. 'We want the public to be prepared for earthquakes at all times as they can occur any time in Japan,' the official said. Tokara Mayor Genichiro Kubo said Saturday he would conduct the second round of evacuation for island residents. They will leave the island on a village-operated ferry for Kagoshima City on Sunday morning. The number of residents wishing to evacuate the island is increasing, and at least 20 people were expected to evacuate Sunday. On Friday, 13 people of eight households on the island aged 0 to 80 evacuated to the ArticlesJapan PM Ishiba: Govt to Take all Possible Measures on Tokara Islands Earthquakes Japan's Tokara Islands Hit by at Least 60 Quakes Measuring 1 or Stronger on Japanese Seismic Intensity Scale on Friday as of Around Noon More than 1,000 Earthquakes Observed around Tokara Islands in Kagoshima Pref.; Highest Number in 10-Day Span Strong Earthquake Hits Japan's Akuseki-jima Island, Kagoshima Pref.; No Tsunami Feared
a day ago
13 Residents Evacuate Quake-Hit Remote Island in Japan
Kagoshima, July 4 (Jiji Press)--The first group of evacuees from Akusekijima arrived at a port in Kagoshima, a city in southwestern Japan, on Friday following a series of earthquakes that have rattled their remote island in recent weeks. The 13 evacuees, aged 0 to 80, are set to stay at hotels in Kagoshima for about a week. Mika Arikawa, 50, one of the evacuees, said, "I couldn't sleep at night because of anxiety due to continuing earthquakes on the island." She said, "I feel relieved because I seem to be able to sleep well." The second group of evacuees are scheduled to leave the island Sunday morning, Genichiro Kubo, mayor of the village of Toshima, which includes Akusekijima, told a press conference. As of Friday afternoon, the Tokara island chain, which includes Akusekijima, had been hit by more than 1,200 quakes strong enough to be felt since June 21. The island experienced the strongest on Thursday, which measured lower 6, the third highest on the Japanese seismic intensity scale. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Japan Times
a day ago
- 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.
The Mainichi
a day ago
- General
- The Mainichi
Residents on quake-struck southwest Japan island face tough decisions over evacuation
Residents on southwestern Japan's Akuseki Island are facing difficult decisions over whether to evacuate as earthquakes continue to shake the remote island. "Unlike weather disasters, one never knows when earthquakes will stop. The accumulated psychological fatigue of islanders must be significant," stated Genichiro Kubo, mayor of the Kagoshima Prefecture village of Toshima, with a stern expression during a press conference on the evening of July 3 in the city of Kagoshima, where the village hall is located. This came after a temblor registering lower 6 on Japan's 7-point seismic intensity scale struck on Akuseki Island, part of Toshima. The mayor added, "There are people on the island, like farmers who raise cattle, who cannot evacuate even if they want to. Not knowing how long the quakes will continue must be truly painful." The Toshima Municipal Government has decided to allow residents of Akuseki Island who wish to evacuate to leave the island and is checking the availability of accommodation in Kagoshima as potential evacuation sites. Kazunori Arikawa, a 73-year-old fisherman on the island, was at a gas station to refuel his light truck when the strong quake struck. As he stopped the vehicle, the shaking suddenly began. The truck hit a fuel pump, and Arikawa hit his head on the truck's roof. The utility poles along the road shook so violently that he thought they might fall over. "The complex vertical and horizontal shaking lasted about 20 seconds. It was a fear I had never felt before," he said. Emergency broadcasts called for evacuation to the school grounds. Arikawa returned home, picked up his wife, and headed there. It appeared that most of the islanders had gathered at the school, exchanging words of concern as the residents asked each other if they were OK. Village officials explained that those who wanted to could evacuate from the island. As Arikawa's wife is not in good health, he stated, "Evacuating from the island is difficult." The relentless quakes, occurring day and night, have pushed the residents' fatigue to their limits. "I hope there aren't any more earthquakes and things calm down quickly," he said. The area around the Tokara island chain, where Akuseki Island is located, has repeatedly experienced earthquake swarms in the past. On Dec. 9, 2021, a jolt measuring upper 5 on the intensity scale was observed on Akuseki Island, prompting 40% of the island's 75 residents at the time -- 30 people from 12 households -- to evacuate two days later. They fled to the cities of Amami and Kagoshima to stay in hotels or with relatives. As the number of earthquakes decreased, they started returning to the island after about two weeks. (Japanese original by Go Torichigai, Kagoshima Bureau; and Masanori Hirakawa and Haruna Tasaki, Kyushu News Department)
