"Tokara Islands in Japan experience 900 quakes in fortnight"

More than 900 earthquakes have struck a remote island chain in southern Japan over the past two weeks, according to authorities, causing residents to lose sleep and raising concerns about future tremors.

While no significant destruction has been reported, officials admit they cannot predict when the seismic activity will subside.

"Earthquake occurrences have been frequent in the waters near the Tokara islands since June 21," said Ayataka Ebita, head of the earthquake and tsunami monitoring division, during an emergency briefing on Wednesday. His remarks followed a magnitude 5.5 quake recorded around 3:30 p.m. in the island chain, located south of Japan’s main island of Kyushu.

"The total count has surpassed 900 as of 4 p.m. today," Ebita stated, urging locals to stay prepared for potential evacuations if stronger quakes occur.

Reports indicate that 740 tremors were logged in the ten days leading up to Tuesday, the highest recorded in recent history. The quakes measured at least 1 on Japan’s 7-point seismic intensity scale, which assesses ground motion, with 7 being the most severe. A lower 5 rating is strong enough to unsettle people, making balance difficult without support.

Officials from Tokara village posted online that fatigue was growing among residents due to sleeplessness. "The ground feels constantly unstable," one resident told a local news outlet. "Even resting is frightening."

Another islander said, "There's no telling when this will stop. I'm considering whether to send my children away for safety."

Government records show daily quakes peaked at 183 on June 23 before dropping to 15 on June 26 and 16 on June 27. However, numbers climbed again—34 on June 28 and 98 on June 29—before settling at 62 on June 30.

A comparable surge in seismic activity occurred in the same region in September 2023, when 346 tremors were registered.

Of the 12 sparsely populated Tokara Islands, seven are home to around 700 people.

Geologists explain that the unique underwater terrain near the islands allows pressure to accumulate beneath the ocean floor, leading to frequent releases of energy as earthquakes.

Japan, situated along the Pacific "ring of fire" where four tectonic plates meet, experiences considerable seismic activity. The nation records roughly 1,500 tremors annually—about 18% of the world’s total. Most are minor, though consequences vary by location and quake depth.

Past disasters include a powerful January 2024 quake on the Noto Peninsula that killed nearly 600 people, and the March 2011 magnitude 9.0 earthquake that triggered a devastating tsunami, claiming over 18,000 lives.