Japan quake not linked to viral Manga prediction, says weather agency
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Tokyo: Japan's Meteorological Agency has confirmed that the magnitude 5.4 earthquake which struck the country’s southwestern islands on Saturday is not linked to a viral prediction made in a manga comic, despite widespread speculation on social media.
Rumours had been circulating online that Japan would face a major disaster on a Saturday in July, based on a prophecy featured in 'The Future I Saw', a manga authored by Japanese artist Ryo Tatsuki. However, Ayataka Ebita, an official from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), dismissed the claims at a press conference in Tokyo.
“It is absolutely a coincidence. There is no causal connection,” Ebita said, stressing that current science cannot predict earthquakes with precision. “In Japan, earthquakes can happen at any time. Please be prepared always,” he added.
The JMA reported that Saturday’s quake struck the Tokara island chain at a depth of around 19 kilometres. No tsunami warning was issued, but the agency cautioned that strong quakes are likely to continue and may result in house collapses and landslides, according to Kyodo News.
Evacuation efforts were already underway before Saturday’s tremor. On Friday, residents of the village of Toshima on Akusekijima island, part of the Tokara chain in Kagoshima prefecture, were evacuated by ship to the city of Kagoshima, where they are now being housed in temporary shelters.
The evacuation followed a stronger 5.5 magnitude earthquake that struck the same region on Thursday, amid a swarm of over 1,000 felt tremors reported in the area over the past two weeks. In response, local authorities in Toshima — which includes seven inhabited and five uninhabited islands — pledged support for all residents willing to relocate from Akusekijima.
The first group of evacuees, including 13 people up to 80 years old, departed Friday and were scheduled to arrive in Kagoshima shortly after 6 p.m. local time.
Japan, located at the convergence of four major tectonic plates within the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, is among the world’s most seismically active nations. With a population of around 125 million, the country experiences roughly 1,500 earthquakes annually, accounting for approximately 18 per cent of global seismic activity.
