Japan has issued a warning for the first time of an increased risk of a “major earthquake” in the near future.
The advisory was issued Thursday night local time, asking people to be alert but not to evacuate. It also stressed that the warning did not mean a major earthquake was imminent, but that the likelihood was higher than normal.
The quake struck hours after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern island of Kyushu. The quake reportedly caused no major damage.
However, experts were on extra alert because of the epicenter’s location: on the edge of the Nankai Trench, an area of seismic activity that extends along Japan’s Pacific coast.
The plate boundary lies between Suruga Bay in central Japan and the Hyuganada Sea in Kyushu in the south.
Previous earthquakes at Nankai Trough have killed thousands. These megaquakes are recorded once every 90 to 200 years, with the last one in 1946.
According to experts, there is a 70% to 80% chance that an earthquake measuring 8 or 9 on the Richter scale will occur sometime in the next 30 years. according to the Kyodo news agencyAccording to worst-case estimates, more than 200,000 people could die in the earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
However, at a press conference on Thursday, Shinya Tsukada, an official with the Japan Meteorological Agency, stressed that while there is “a relatively higher chance of another major earthquake compared to normal times,” it was not said that it would definitely happen “within a certain period of time.”
This current advisory – the lower of the two types of warnings available to authorities – will remain in effect for one week.
According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, residents are being urged to be extra vigilant in the coming days and for those who cannot evacuate quickly to consider doing so voluntarily.
Officials have also advised people to be cautious but to continue with their daily lives, while checking evacuation routes where necessary and ensuring households have sufficient supplies.
