William with an item tangentially related to Kumamoto: Though our local faults (geological, not moral) tend to be parallel, Japan itself is built atop a subductive fault, with the Pacific plate moving under the Eurasian plate (the one we’re on), which means that something has to be pushing the Pacific plate westward. That would be the mid-Atlantic rift, where the plates are spreading apart. Normally, all of this occurs deep underneath the Atlantic - except for Iceland (which is green, unlike Greenland, which is icy). The rift zone in Iceland is normally stone-cold, uh, stone, except for times like now. Google “Iceland eruptions” for more info and amazing photos, and remember: what happens in Iceland doesn’t stay in Iceland. Its ripples will, in geological time, to be felt here.
https://jp.reuters.com/pictures/iceland-volcano-recedes-after-lava-reaches-fishing-town-2024-01-15/