Anxiety Over "July Megaquake" Rumors... Shinmoedake Volcano Plume in Kyushu, Japan Soars to 5,000 Meters

Japan Meteorological Agency: "Impossible to Predict Major Earthquakes, No Basis for Rumors"
Shinmoedake Volcano Plume Reaches 5,000 Meters for First Time Since April 2018
Over 1,000 Earthquakes in Tokara Islands in Two Weeks

The active volcano Shinmoedake in Kyushu, Japan, erupted on the 28th of last month. Yonhap News

Volcanic activity is intensifying in some areas of Kyushu, Japan. Following more than 1,000 minor earthquakes over about two weeks in the Tokara Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture since late last month, the plume from the Shinmoedake volcano, which straddles Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefectures, has soared to 5,000 meters for the first time in seven years.

According to Kyodo News on July 4, the Kagoshima Local Meteorological Observatory announced the previous day that the plume emitted by Shinmoedake had reached a height of about 5,000 meters. This is the first time since April 5, 2018, in seven years, that the plume from Shinmoedake has reached 5,000 meters.

Previously, after Shinmoedake erupted last month, the Japan Meteorological Agency raised the volcanic alert level from Level 2, which restricts access around the crater, to Level 3, which prohibits entry to the mountain. Additionally, on this day, the agency raised the volcanic alert level for Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, from Level 1 to Level 2, explaining that "the amplitude of tremors has increased."

In the Tokara Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, where more than 1,000 minor earthquakes have occurred since late last month, several dozen earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.4 or less were recorded on this day as well. The previous day, a magnitude 5.5 earthquake was observed in the area, producing a seismic intensity of lower 6, strong enough to damage wall tiles, break window glass, or topple bookshelves. Thirteen residents living on Akusekijima in the Tokara Islands evacuated to Kagoshima City on this day.

Even before the Tokara Islands earthquakes, rumors had been circulating in places such as Hong Kong that a major earthquake would strike Japan in July this year, based on works like the "The Future I Saw: Complete Edition" by manga artist Tatsuki Ryo. However, the Japan Meteorological Agency dismissed these claims, stating, "It is impossible to predict earthquakes, and the major earthquake rumor is baseless."