Fifty years have passed since the Izu Peninsula Offshore Earthquake that struck at 8:33 a.m. on May 9, 1974. Some black-and-white photos, with a few in color, that were held by the Minami-Izu Town Tourism Association at the time still remain; their condition is poor, but we are publishing them in the hope they will help future earthquake preparedness.
At that time, tourism had been growing in Minami-Izu Town—sparked by the opening of the Izu Kyuko Line in 1961 and the opening of the Margaret Line in 1972 (which was made free in 1983)—and the local economy was becoming increasingly dependent on tourism when tragedy struck again.
A series of disasters followed: the Aono River flood caused by heavy rains in July 1976, the Kawazu Earthquake in August of the same year, and the offshore Izu Oshima earthquake in 1978. Infrastructure development could not keep up, and visitor numbers plummeted.
Nevertheless, the town gradually overcame those immense hardships and slowly rebuilt. Today, summer draws large numbers of visitors to the area.
From a global perspective, earthquakes are natural events like typhoons, so it is extremely important to prepare for disasters based on past lessons and to pass those lessons on to future generations.

What was the Izu Peninsula Offshore Earthquake?
It was a shallow earthquake with its epicenter off Cape Irozaki that occurred at 8:33 a.m. on May 9, 1974, with a magnitude of 6.9.
The quake caused tremendous damage: 38 people were killed or went missing, and approximately 370 buildings were completely or partially destroyed.

Date and time: May 9, 1974, 8:33 a.m.
Magnitude: 6.9
Fatalities and missing: 38 people
Damage (complete and partial collapse): about 370 buildings