Japan began evacuating its inhabitants from the southwest islands on Friday as a result of recurrent tremors.
Authorities began evacuating inhabitants from the town of Toshima on Akusekijima, one of the Toshima Islands, by ship to a port in Kagoshima, where they are expected to stay in temporary lodgings, according to reports.
Toshima village is comprised of a network of islands. A series of earthquakes have shaken the region during the last two weeks.
Officials are warning locals to be prepared for future earthquakes with magnitudes as low as 6, as well as the danger of mudslides triggered by heavy rainfall.
On Thursday, a 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Tokara, a group of small islands in the southwestern Kagoshima province, after over 1,000 quakes were felt in the area in the past two weeks.
Since June 21, the area has experienced over 1,000 earthquakes, the lowest of which was 1 magnitude.
Earthquakes measuring a lower 5 magnitude were also recorded on Monday and Wednesday.
On Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that the government will take all necessary measures in response to the series of earthquakes that have struck the Tokara Islands.
