Earthquake Strikes Tokara Islands on Widely Rumored "Prediction Day"
Japan Meteorological Agency: "Pure Coincidence, No Scientific Basis"
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck the Tokara Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, at around 6:29 a.m. on July 5, amid a series of ongoing minor earthquakes in the area. Attention was heightened as this date had been widely circulated on Japanese social media as the predicted day of a major earthquake, almost like an urban legend.
The Japan Meteorological Agency announced that there was no risk of a tsunami following the earthquake. The hypocenter was estimated to be at a depth of 20 kilometers. On Akusekijima, one of the islands in the Tokara chain, the quake registered a strong intensity of upper 5 on the Japanese seismic scale, but no casualties have been reported.
According to Kyodo News, more than 1,300 minor earthquakes have occurred in the Tokara Islands from June 21 through 7 a.m. on July 5. In the Tokara Islands, there were also more than 300 minor earthquakes each in December 2021 and September 2023, but the current number surpasses those previous earthquake swarms.
Rumors have been spreading in Japan that a major earthquake would occur in July this year, based on the manga artist Tatsuki Ryo's work "The Complete Edition of My Predictions." On social media, even a specific date and time?4:18 a.m. on July 5?was circulated as the predicted moment of the major quake.
At a press conference on July 5, the Japan Meteorological Agency commented, "There are about 2,000 earthquakes of intensity 1 or higher in Japan each year, and in some years the number reaches as high as 6,500, so predictions may occasionally coincide with actual events." However, the agency emphasized that even if an earthquake occurs as predicted, it is merely a coincidence and there is no scientific basis for such predictions.
As rumors of a major earthquake spread, the number of visitors from Hong Kong to Japan in May dropped by 11.2% compared to the previous year. In South Korea, travel agencies have reportedly received an increasing number of inquiries about safety in Japan. The Chinese Embassy in Japan also urged its citizens via its social media account the previous day to exercise special caution regarding natural disasters, including earthquakes.
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