Overview

• Since June 21, the Japan Meteorological Agency has recorded at least 474 tremors around the Tokara Islands, including two magnitude-5.1 quakes on June 22 and June 24.
• Mount Shinmoe erupted on June 22 for the first time in seven years, sending a 500-metre ash column into the air over central Kyushu.
• Despite tremors reaching intensity 4 on Japan’s seismic scale, no significant damage or injuries have been reported across the affected islands.
• The Japan Meteorological Agency has warned residents to prepare for stronger earthquakes and has issued no tsunami or special volcanic alerts.
• Seismologists stress that there is no scientific way to predict earthquakes and dismiss any connection to manga artist Ryo Tatsuki’s July disaster forecast.