- Joined
- Aug 20, 2022
- Messages
- 19,776
- Points
- 113
Hundreds of Small Earthquakes Rattle Remote Islands in Japan
More than 800 tremors have shaken the southwestern Tokara Islands over the past 11 days, including a 5.6-magnitude quake on Wednesday.
Akusekijima in 2021. Residents of the island said they have lost sleep since the tremors began.Credit...The Yomiuri Shimbun, via Associated Press
By Francesca Regalado
July 2, 2025
Updated 10:39 a.m. ET
A sparsely populated string of islands in southwest Japan has experienced more earthquakes than it has people over the past two weeks, recording more than 800 tremors strong enough to be felt on land.
The U.S. Geological Survey registered a 5.6-magnitude quake on Wednesday afternoon in the Tokara Islands, a string of 12 islands between Japan’s main island and Okinawa. The Japan Meteorological Agency, which uses its own scale of seismic intensity, has recorded 870 quakes since June 21.
All of the quakes have been at least 1.5 on the Japanese scale, meaning they are strong enough to be felt by some people. Earthquakes stronger than 5.0 on the scale can topple bookshelves and other furniture.
The nonstop shaking has been unusual even for earthquake-prone Japan, rattling more than 600 people who live on the islands. Several of the islands were formed from undersea volcanoes, luring visitors with natural hot springs.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has not offered an explanation for the recent increased activity, but the formation of a new volcanic island can sometimes follow small pinpointed earthquakes. Two years ago, a small island sprouted up near Iwo Jima, a Japanese island in the Pacific Ocean, from the eruption of an undersea volcano that lasted for weeks.
Because of Japan’s frequent earthquakes, the authorities and general public are well-prepared for disasters. But the Tokara Islands’ remote location means emergency responders have to use helicopters to get there, as it takes more than 6 hours to reach Nakanoshima, the largest of the islands, by ferry.
Residents on one of the islands, Akusekijima, told the Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper, that they had lost sleep since the tremors began.
There was no risk of tsunamis, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on Wednesday, but it warned people on the islands to beware of falling rocks and landslides.
