Last week, Japan issued its first warning of a possible mega-earthquake around the Nankai Trench that runs along the Pacific coast, forcing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to cancel his Asia tour and thousands of people to cancel their travel plans.
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| Japan is on high alert with warnings of a possible mega-earthquake this week. (Source: NHK) |
The warning was issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) on August 8, hours after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture, on the western edge of the Nankai Trench, which shook southwestern Japan.
Why is there a super earthquake warning?
JMA predicts that a super earthquake with an assumed epicenter in the Nankai Trough is a relatively higher risk than normal, not only limited to the area around this earthquake but also possibly extending to the entire area of the Nankai Trough.
In the worst case, a strong earthquake could shake a large area of Japan, from the Kanto region, centered around Tokyo, to the southwestern Kyushu region, and high tsunami waves could occur along the Pacific coast from the Kanto region to Okinawa, according to the JMA.
In January, the Japanese government's Earthquake Research Committee predicted that the chance of an earthquake measuring 8-9 on the Richter scale occurring near the Nankai Trench in the next 30 years is about 70-80%.
After assessing the latest earthquake off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture, the head of the committee, Naoshi Hirata, said the possibility of a major earthquake along the Nankai Trench has now increased “many times.”
However, he could not predict exactly which areas needed to prepare for disasters, but called on people to be cautious with any unforeseen situations that might arise.
According to JMA, the risk of a super earthquake could occur one day within 1 week of the warning being issued.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has decided to cancel his planned visit to the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia, which was scheduled to take place from August 9-12, to focus on directing response work to the risk of a major earthquake.
The leader also called on people to be prepared to respond to the risk of further earthquakes.
Japan is taking drastic measures to respond.
Japanese earthquake scientists have warned the country to prepare for a potential “mega-earthquake” that could one day kill hundreds of thousands of people, but they stressed that the warning does not mean a major quake is imminent.
With its geographical location along the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, the most active earthquake tectonic belt in the world, Japan regularly experiences earthquakes and even tsunamis. The Land of the Rising Sun never ignores the risks of this disaster.
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| A warning asking people not to swim at a beach in Hiratsuka on August 10. (Source: AFP) |
Following the JMA's warning, residents of Japan's coastal prefectures have stepped up preparations for a possible mega-earthquake, including setting up safe evacuation routes, checking and repairing physical conditions at shelters, and setting up dozens of additional evacuation sites.
| With its geographical location along the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, the world's most active earthquake tectonic belt, Japan regularly experiences earthquakes and even tsunamis. |
In Kochi Prefecture, Western Japan, if a super earthquake scenario occurs, it could be accompanied by a tsunami up to 34 meters high and hit the town of Kuroshio in this prefecture, so local authorities have called on the elderly and those with mobility difficulties to proactively seek safer locations during this time.
Crisis response teams are on alert 24/7.
While being careful with preparedness, the Japanese government has urged people not to stockpile too many emergency kits for use in disasters.
Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries shared a guide on social media, urging people not to hoard food, but to buy just a little more than usual each day, using up all the food they bought before restocking.
The call comes as some items have run out due to a surge in demand after authorities warned of the risk of a mega-earthquake.
On Amazon and Rakuten Group's online shopping sites, items such as drinking water, portable emergency toilets and canned food have quickly become best-sellers, with some even selling out.
Demand for water, emergency kit backpacks and products to prevent items from falling over has also been particularly high, especially in central Japan, one of the areas most at risk of major earthquakes.
Supermarkets have been forced to limit the sale of no more than 12 two-litre bottles of drinking water per household to prevent hoarding.
The JMA's warning has also caused thousands of people to cancel hotel reservations in areas identified as high-risk, greatly affecting the revenue of companies, as this is the time when people start the Obon holiday, one of the long holidays of Japanese people in August, from August 13-16.
In Kochi, at least 9,400 people have canceled hotel reservations since the JMA warning, causing losses of about 140 million yen ($948,000).
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