Monday, 25 May 2026
900 quakes leave Japanese islanders sleepless
TOKYO - Residents of a secluded island chain in southern Japan have been left struggling to sleep after enduring over 900 earthquakes in just two weeks, the nation’s weather agency reported Wednesday.
While the ongoing tremors have caused no significant damage, concern grew after a magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck the Tokara Islands, located south of the Kyushu region, at approximately 3:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. Singapore time), according to CNA.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) convened an emergency press briefing in response.
“Since June 21, seismic activity around the Tokara island chain has been exceptionally intense,” said Ayataka Ebita, director of the agency’s earthquake and tsunami observation division. “As of 4 p.m. today, the number of quakes has surpassed 900.” Ebita noted that the agency is unable to predict when the tremors will subside.
According to a statement on the Tokara village website, residents are exhausted and struggling to rest amid the relentless shaking. “It feels like the ground is always moving,” one resident told regional broadcaster MBC. “It’s terrifying to even try to fall asleep.”
Another resident expressed uncertainty about the future: “No one knows when this will stop. I’m considering if I should evacuate my children.”
A similar surge in seismic activity affected the Tokara region in September 2023, when the JMA recorded 346 earthquakes in the area.
Of the 12 remote islands that comprise the Tokara archipelago, seven are inhabited, with a population totaling around 700 people.
Japan, positioned atop four major tectonic plates on the western edge of the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” ranks among the world’s most earthquake-prone countries. The nation of 125 million experiences approximately 1,500 tremors each year, accounting for about 18 percent of global seismic activity.
Although most quakes are relatively mild, their impact can vary greatly depending on location and depth. Tragedy struck on New Year’s Day 2024, when a major earthquake hit the Noto Peninsula in central Japan, leaving nearly 600 dead.