Japan: Japan began evacuating its citizens from the southwest islands on Friday amid recurring tremors. Authorities commenced the evacuation of residents from the village of Toshima on Akusekijima, one of the Toshima Islands. The evacuees departed by ship for a port in Kagoshima, where they are expected to stay in temporary accommodations, NHK reported.

According to Anadolu Agency, Toshima village consists of a chain of islands that have been experiencing a series of earthquakes over the past two weeks. Officials are advising residents to remain vigilant for additional earthquakes, with potential magnitudes as low as 6, as well as the possibility of mudslides due to anticipated rainfall.

On Thursday, a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit the Tokara Islands, a group of small islands in the southwestern Kagoshima province. This followed the occurrence of over 1,000 quakes in the area within the past two weeks. Since June 21, the region has recorded more than 1,000 earthquakes, with the smallest measuring at a magnitude of 1.

Earlier in the week, earthquakes with a lower 5 magnitude were also recorded on Monday and Wednesday. In response to these events, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced on Thursday that the government would take all necessary measures to address the series of earthquakes that have impacted the Tokara Islands.