Japanese weather agency says Saturday's earthquake not connected with viral prediction

Tokyo, July 5 (IANS) A preliminary magnitude 5.4 earthquake that rattled islands in southwestern Japan on Saturday had no link to a disaster prediction made by the comic book (Manga) author that had gone viral on social media, Japan's weather agency has confirmed.

It was circulating on social media that Japan will experience a major disaster in July – particularly on a Saturday - following a prediction made in "The Future I Saw", a manga authored by Japanese artist Ryo Tatsuki, local media reported.

Addressing a press conference in Tokyo, an official of the Japan Meteorological Agency, Ayataka Ebita, said current science cannot accurately predict earthquakes, and any event that seems to align with the manga author's prediction is purely coincidental.

"It is absolutely a coincidence. There is no causal connection. In Japan, earthquakes can happen at any time. Please be prepared always," said Ebita.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the quake hit the Tokara island chain early Saturday morning at a depth of about 19 kilometres, adding that no tsunami warning was issued.

The agency warned that strong quakes are expected to continue for some time, which could lead to house collapses and landslides, Japanese media outlet Kyodo News reported.

On Friday morning, residents of the village of Toshima on Akusekijima, part of the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima prefecture, departed by ship, heading to the city of Kagoshima, where they are expected to stay in temporary accommodation.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 struck off the Tokara island chain on Thursday, following over 1,000 felt temblors in the area in nearly two weeks, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Following Thursday's quake, local authorities in Toshima, consisting of seven inhabited islands and five uninhabited ones, pledged to evacuate residents willing to leave Akusekijima.

The first group of 13 people up to the age of 80 aboard the ship were scheduled to reach Kagoshima shortly after 6 pm local time on Friday.

Japan, situated at the convergence of four major tectonic plates along the Pacific 'Ring of Fire', is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.

Home to approximately 125 million people, the country experiences around 1,500 earthquakes annually and accounts for about 18 per cent of the world’s seismic activity.

--IANS

scor/as