On July 3, a 5.5-magnitude earthquake occurred in a remote island area southwest of Japan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
The center of the earthquake was off the Tokara Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, nearly 1,200km from Tokyo. The earthquake was recorded at a depth of 20km, with the earthquake intensity reaching "6" on Japan's 7-level scale on the island of Akuseki, where only 89 residents live.
According to the meteorological agency, this is a level of shaking that makes it very difficult for people to stand firm. Although no Tsunami warnings have been issued, residents in the area still clearly feel insecure due to the sudden increase in earthquake frequency.
From June 21 to July 3, more than 1,000 earthquakes with an intensity of level 1 or higher were recorded in this area.
The event became more notable amid a wave of panic spreading across Japan. The cause comes from a comic book by artist Ryo Tatsuki, published in 1999, in which the author "prophesized" that a terrible earthquake accompanied by a Tsunami would attack Japan around the days of July 5-7, 2025.
In response to growing public concerns, Japan Meteorological Agency Director Ryoichi Nomura has reassured the public. He affirmed: "With current technology, there is no way to predict the exact time of an earthquake."
He called on people to always be fully prepared for emergency situations, but not to panic or spread unverified information.
Japan is a country on the Pacific Ring Road, which is frequently hit by strong earthquakes. However, the coincidence between geological reality and a prophecy from comics has caused fear to spread rapidly, especially when earthquakes continue to occur continuously in the Tokara area.
