Remote Japan islands rattled by 900 earthquakes in a week: ‘We just want it to stop’

A remote island in Japan was jolted by more than 900 earthquakes in the span of one week, according to the weather agency, raising fear and panic among the residents.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has been recording earthquakes in the sparsely populated island chain near the Tokara Islands since 21 June.

No major damage has been reported from the earthquakes, but the agency has said it does not know when the seismic activity will end.

“Seismic activity has been very active in the seas around the Tokara island chain since June 21,” Ayataka Ebita, director of the agency’s earthquake and tsunami observation division, said.

An emergency news conference was held on Wednesday after a 5.5-magnitude earthquake was registered at about 3.30pm in the island chain.

“As of 4pm today, the number has exceeded 900,” Mr Ebita said.

He asked residents to be prepared to take shelter and evacuate when needed over the possibility of the area being hit by stronger earthquakes.

The residents of the Tokara Island said they were spending sleepless nights and remain tired due to continued stress over the string of jolts.

“It feels like it’s always shaking,” one resident told the regional broadcaster MBC. “It’s very scary to even fall asleep.”

Another resident said: “It’s not clear when all this will end. I should think about whether to evacuate my kids.”

The Tokara Islands are the150km chain of 12 small islands and out of the total seven are inhabited. Only 700 people live on the remote islands. The islands are not well connected to the hospitals, and the nearest one is at least six hours by ferry to the prefectural capital, Kagoshima.

A record of 740 tremors have occurred across the island in the 10-day period up to Tuesday, with quakes measuring 1 or higher on the 7-point Japanese seismic intensity scale.

The earthquakes peaked on 23 June when 183 quakes were recorded in a single day, according to official data.

A resident, Chizuko Arikawa, told the Asahi Shimbun that you can hear a “strange roar from the ocean before the quakes hit” especially at night, describing it as “eerie”.

“Everyone’s exhausted. We just want it to stop,” the 54-year-old said.

“After so many quakes, it now feels like the ground is shaking even when it’s not,” Isamu Sakamoto, 60, another residents said. “The quakes start with a jolt from below, then the house sways. It’s sickening.”

Japan, one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world, has heavily invested in early warning systems and infrastructure upgrades, but officials say more preparation is needed to protect communities from a disaster of this scale.