/popdiaries/media/media_files/FyuWqQu9iTruWA7KLmeR.png)
Follow Us
Japan’s earthquake experts have cautioned about the potential for a forthcoming "megaquake" following a magnitude 7.1 quake in the south that injured eight people on Thursday. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) noted, “The probability of a significant new earthquake is elevated, but this does not guarantee that a major quake will definitely happen.”
This is the inaugural advisory issued under a new system established after the major earthquake in 2011. Japan, situated on four major tectonic plates, experiences approximately 1,500 earthquakes annually, most of which are minor.
Even significant tremors are typically managed well due to advanced construction methods and effective emergency protocols.
The government has previously estimated a roughly 70 percent chance of a megaquake occurring within the next 30 years. Such an event could impact a broad area of Japan’s Pacific coast and potentially endanger around 300,000 lives in a worst-case scenario, according to experts. Although earthquake prediction is not possible, the occurrence of one quake often increases the likelihood of another, as noted by Earthquake Insights.
However, they emphasize that even with a heightened risk, the probability of a subsequent quake remains “still always low.”
On January 1, a 7.6-magnitude quake and severe aftershocks struck the Noto Peninsula on the Sea of Japan coast, resulting in at least 318 fatalities, significant building collapses, and road disruptions.
In 2011, a massive 9.0-magnitude undersea quake off northeastern Japan triggered a tsunami that caused around 18,500 deaths or disappearances. It also led to the meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant, marking Japan’s most severe post-war disaster and the most serious nuclear incident since Chernobyl.