People living on a small group of islands in southern Japan have been struggling to sleep after more than 900 earthquakes were recorded in just two weeks, Japan’s weather agency said on Wednesday.
The Tokara island chain, located south of Japan’s Kyushu region, has been shaking almost non-stop since June 21. Although no major damage has been reported, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) held an emergency press meeting after a 5.5 magnitude quake struck the area at around 3:30 pm.
Ayataka Ebita, a senior official at JMA, said, “The area around the Tokara Islands has been very active with earthquakes, and we don’t know when it will stop.” He confirmed that the number of quakes had crossed 900 by 4:00 pm on Wednesday.
Locals are scared and exhausted. The village office said on its website that residents haven’t been able to sleep well. One person told a local TV channel, “It feels like the ground is always shaking. It’s really scary to even try to sleep.” Another worried resident said, “I don’t know when this will stop. I might have to think about evacuating my kids.”
This isn’t the first time the area has faced such intense shaking. In September 2023, around 346 earthquakes were recorded there.
Out of the 12 Tokara Islands, 7 are inhabited, with a population of around 700 people.
Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world because it lies on four major tectonic plates in a region called the Pacific Ring of Fire. On average, Japan experiences about 1,500 earthquakes every year, which is around 18% of all earthquakes globally.
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Most of these quakes are small, but some can cause serious damage depending on where and how deep they hit. Earlier this year, nearly 600 people died after a powerful earthquake struck central Japan’s Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day.
