Latest news with #地震
The Independent
04-07-2025
- The Independent
Island evacuated following 1,000 earthquakes in just two weeks
Japanese authorities evacuated 89 residents from Toshima village after Akuseki Island in Kagoshima prefecture was struck by a 5.5 magnitude earthquake on Thursday. The evacuation followed more than 1,000 earthquakes of intensity 1 or greater that have rattled the Tokara Island chain since 21 June. Officials confirmed there was no tsunami warning issued, and no damage or injuries were reported from the tremor. Residents of Toshima village were transported by ship to temporary accommodation in Kagoshima, with the evacuation expected to last about a week. Separately, recent rumours stemming from a manga prediction of a major earthquake in July 2025 have significantly impacted Japan 's tourism, leading to cancellations.
Khaleej Times
03-07-2025
- Khaleej Times
Japan urges evacuation of small island as 1,000 quakes hit region
Japanese authorities urged the 89 residents of a small southern island to evacuate after a strong earthquake on Thursday, 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. On Thursday, 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 Thursday's quake, according to Ayataka Ebita, director of the earthquake and tsunami observation division of the Japan Meteorological Agency. "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 along the western edge of the Pacific "Ring of Fire". The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, typically experiences around 1,500 jolts every year and accounts for about 18 percent of the world's earthquakes. In 2011, a magnitude-9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Quakes are extremely hard to predict, but in January a government panel marginally increased the probability of a major jolt in the Nankai Trough off Japan in the next 30 years to 75-82 percent. The government then released a new estimate in March saying that such a "megaquake" and subsequent tsunami could cause as many as 298,000 deaths and damages of up to $2 trillion. This week, the government released a report saying much more needed to be done to prepare for such a megaquake. Some foreign tourists have held off coming to Japan due to unfounded fears fanned by social media that a major quake is imminent. Causing particular concern is a manga comic reissued in 2021 which predicted a major disaster on July 5, 2025. "We are aware that such tales are circulating, but that is a hoax," Ebita at the JMA said. "With today's science and technology, it is not possible to predict earthquakes."
NHK
11-06-2025
- Business
- NHK
Long-term damage from Nankai Trough megaquake estimated to be $10 trillion
Japanese experts estimate that long-term economic damage from an anticipated massive earthquake in the Nankai Trough off Japan's Pacific coast could reach 1,466 trillion yen, or about 10 trillion dollars. The Japanese government released new damage estimates on the megaquake in March of this year. It said the costs of structural rebuilding, together with production declines at impacted businesses, add up to 270.3 trillion yen, or about 1.8 trillion dollars. Economic losses during the year after the disaster, including severed roads and railways, would total some 292 trillion yen, or about 2 trillion dollars. A panel of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers estimated the effects of the megaquake on economic activity over the ensuing approximately 20 years. Damage to assets would total 225 trillion yen, or about 1.5 trillion dollars, and economic damage -- an assessment of long-term decline in economic activity -- would total 1,241 trillion yen, or about 8.5 trillion dollars. The panel's figure is more than five times the government estimate in March, and an increase of 56 trillion yen, or about 380 billion dollars, from the panel's previous estimate in 2018. The panel explains that it took into account the results of analyses of production recovery after the Great East Japan Earthquake, and recent price hikes. The estimate does not include the impact of post-quake reconstruction projects. The panel stresses the importance of preparatory measures, noting that 31 percent of the economic damage could be avoided if more than 58 trillion yen, or about 400 billion dollars, were spent on making infrastructure quake-resistant over roughly a decade.
