Over 900 earthquakes in 14 days shake Japan’s Tokara Islands; residents fear megaquake
Japan renews preparedness plans for potential Nankai megaquake
A remote island chain in southern Japan has experienced more than 900 earthquakes since June 21, leaving residents anxious and unable to sleep.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported the intense seismic activity around the Tokara Islands and held an emergency news briefing after a magnitude 5.5 quake struck Wednesday afternoon.
“Always shaking”: Residents voice fear
Residents of the sparsely populated Tokara village, home to around 700 people across seven inhabited islands, described the persistent tremors as frightening.
“It feels like it’s always shaking… very scary to even fall asleep,” one resident told regional broadcaster MBC.
Some families are now considering evacuating their children due to the ongoing uncertainty.
Emergency response and history of quakes
This is not the first time the Tokara region has experienced such seismic bursts — 346 quakes were recorded there in a similar episode in 2023.
While no major damage has been reported this time, the frequency has prompted increased monitoring.
Japan braces for megaquake threat
Separately, the Japanese government has renewed its preparedness plans for a potential “megaquake” in the Nankai Trough — a fault line off the Pacific coast. Experts now estimate a 75–82% chance of such an event within the next 30 years.
Government projections suggest a megaquake and tsunami could result in as many as 298,000 deaths and $2 trillion in damages.
Preparedness plan gets an urgent update
Officials say current disaster measures would only reduce fatalities by 20%, far short of the original 80% target. The updated strategy now includes:
Construction of more embankments and evacuation buildings
Frequent emergency drills
Greater collaboration between government, companies, and civil society
Manga prophecy sparks quake rumours
Social media-fuelled fears — partly driven by a manga reissued in 2021 predicting a major quake on July 5, 2025 — have prompted some tourists to postpone travel to Japan.
Greater Bay Airlines, based in Hong Kong, even reduced flights due to falling demand. However, JMA officials reiterated that earthquakes remain scientifically impossible to predict.
“We strongly urge the public not to take irrational actions driven by anxiety,” said Ryoichi Nomura, head of the JMA.
Despite the fears, inbound tourism to Japan remains strong overall, especially from mainland China and South Korea, which saw double-digit increases in May.
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