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Al Etihad
03-07-2025
- Al Etihad
Japan urges evacuation of small island as 1,000 quakes hit region
3 July 2025 14:28 TOKYO (AFP)Japanese authorities urged the 89 residents of a small southern island to evacuate after a strong earthquake on Thursday, the latest of more than 1,000 recent jolts to hit the were urged to evacuate to "a school playground in Akuseki Island", a municipal official told is part of the Tokara island chain south of Kyushu region, which has been rattled by 1,031 quakes since June major damage has been all residents were confirmed safe, the evacuation instruction was later Thursday, a 5.5 magnitude quake struck near Akuseki. The previous day a jolt of the same size was also of the 12 remote Tokara Islands are inhabited, with around 700 residents in was no tsunami risk from Thursday's quake, according to Ayataka Ebita, director of the earthquake and tsunami observation division of the Japan Meteorological Agency."In areas where the tremors were strong, there is an increased risk of collapsed houses and landslides," he told reporters."Please be aware of earthquakes of similar magnitude for the foreseeable future," he said.A similar period of intense seismic activity in the Tokara area occurred in September 2023, when 346 earthquakes were recorded, according to the is one of the world's most seismically active countries, sitting on top of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific "Ring of Fire".The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, typically experiences around 1,500 jolts every year and accounts for about 18 percent of the world's 2011, a magnitude-9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear are extremely hard to predict, but in January a government panel marginally increased the probability of a major jolt in the Nankai Trough off Japan in the next 30 years to 75-82 government then released a new estimate in March saying that such a "megaquake" and subsequent tsunami could cause as many as 298,000 deaths and damages of up to $2 week, the government released a report saying much more needed to be done to prepare for such a foreign tourists have held off coming to Japan due to unfounded fears fanned by social media that a major quake is particular concern is a manga comic reissued in 2021 which predicted a major disaster on July 5, 2025."We are aware that such tales are circulating, but that is a hoax," Ebita at the JMA said. "With today's science and technology, it is not possible to predict earthquakes."
BBC News
13-02-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Check out Japan's epic snowball fight competition!
While lots of people are looking forward to the end of the winter season, some people in Japan have welcomed the cold weather with open arms. More than 120 teams took part in an epic snowball fight competition which was held in the city of Uonuma, a place know for its super chilly conditions. The annual Koide International Snowball Fight is the largest event of its kind in Japan. So how did the tournament work? Teams made up of five players competed in matches lasting two minutes each on a field the size of a tennis court, with points awarded for direct hits with a snowball."Put simply, you make snowballs, throw them, score hits and the (team with the) most points wins," said head judge Takuya winner of the tournament was given a special prize - 30 kgs of rice, which is an Uonuma speciality. "Snowball fighting is originally just a game, so I like that when you give it a competitive side it becomes a high-tension sport you can enjoy," said one player who travelled from Tokyo to take part in the tournament."I think it's that kind of event where you can feel like a kid again," said another competitor. Uonuma is in a region that sees huge amounts of snowfall every winter. More than three metres of snow had settled in the city by Sunday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency."When you look at it from a local's point of view, the snow can be a nuisance, it's a hassle," said head judge Takuya. "So we hoped we could turn it into something fun by starting these snowball fights."
