Overview

• More than 1,000 earthquakes have rattled the Tokara island chain since June 21, with a magnitude 5.5 temblor on July 3 triggering emergency warnings.
• Authorities ordered 89 residents of Akusekijima to evacuate as continued tremors left islanders sleepless and exhausted.
• On July 1 the Central Disaster Management Council issued a revised preparedness plan calling for embankments, dedicated evacuation buildings and more frequent drills.
• The Japan Meteorological Agency has labeled a viral prophecy from Ryo Tatsuki’s 2021 manga a hoax and stressed that precise earthquake prediction remains impossible.
• A government panel now assigns a 75–82% probability of a Nankai Trough megaquake within 30 years, with estimates warning of up to 298,000 deaths and $2 trillion in damage.