Japan’s government has warned that additional strong earthquakes are likely in waters southwest of Kyushu after more than 1,000 tremors were recorded in Kagoshima prefecture over the past two weeks. A 5.5-magnitude quake on Thursday and a 5.4-magnitude jolt on Saturday prompted the evacuation of some residents from remote islands near the epicentre. Ayataka Ebita, who heads the Japan Meteorological Agency’s earthquake and tsunami monitoring division, told reporters it remains impossible to pinpoint the timing, location or scale of future quakes with current science. He urged the public to rely on official data rather than unverified predictions circulating online. Authorities moved to quell speculation sparked by a 1999 manga, “The Future I Saw,” whose storyline has been interpreted on social media as foretelling a catastrophic disaster this month. The rumours have already dented tourism: arrivals from Hong Kong, where the claims spread widely, fell 11% in May compared with a year earlier despite record visitor numbers overall this year.