Tokara Islands July 2025 earthquake swarm
From June 25 to July 4, a total of 1,198 earthquakes occurred near the lightly populated Tokara Islands, Kagoshima prefecture[1] in southwest Japan,[2] the largest of which, on July 4, was at the lower end of 6 on the Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale (JMA scale).[3] This earthquake swarm is the most intense such since 1995.[1] 31 residents requested evacuation to Mainland Japan following several earthquakes of 5+ on the JMA scale, i.e. approximately VII on the Mercalli scale[4][5] [6] (A strange roaring from the sea before the earthquakes has been reported, and the quakes and been strong and constant enough to substantially interrupt sleep.)[7]
This earthquake swarm became connected in the popular imagination to the manga The Future I Saw. The Japan Meteorological Agency denied the predictive validity of pseudo-science: "1-Minute Explainer: Can you trust social media claims about the 'Tokara Rule'[8] or predictions of a major disaster on the 5th? (Mainichi Shimbun)".[9]
References
- ^ a b Speed, Jessica (July 4, 2025). "Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues". The Japan Times.
- ^ https://www.data.jma.go.jp/multi/quake/index.html?lang=en
- ^ "Over 1,000 Earthquakes in Less than Two Weeks Shake Japan's Southern Tokara Islands". nippon.com. July 4, 2025.
- ^ https://beta.lmarena.ai/c/202fa7bc-77a2-4463-b9bc-314255c1fc15
- ^ "トカラ列島・悪石島、新たな避難希望31人 震度5強「インパクト」：朝日新聞". 朝日新聞 (in Japanese). 2025-07-05. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
- ^ "トカラ列島で震度6弱 頻発する揺れ…いつまで続く？ 南海トラフ巨大地震とは"関連なし"も…「2030～40年に発生する可能性が高い」 京大名誉教授が"地震への備え"改めて呼びかけ【識者解説】（ABCニュース）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-07-05.
- ^ "Japan: Tokara islanders sleepless after 900 quakes in two weeks". www.bbc.com. July 3, 2025.
- ^ "While rumors are already spreading that a major earthquake will occur in Japan in July this year, a .. - MK". 매일경제. June 29, 2025.
- ^ "＜1分で解説＞「トカラの法則」「5日に大災害」SNS信じていい?（毎日新聞）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-07-05.