A powerful earthquake struck off southern Japan on Thursday, raising concerns that a major quake could occur as early as this week.
Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida has cancelled a trip to Central Asia over fears of a possible “mega-earthquake” in the near future.followinga powerful earthquake which occurred Thursday off the coast of southern Japan.
Authorities said nine people were injured on the Japanese island of Kyushu, but the injuries were mostly minor. No serious damage was reported and tsunami warnings for the quake were later lifted.
However, The earthquake prompted seismologists to hold an emergency meeting where they reassessed and raised the level of major earthquake risk. related to the Nankai Trough in southeastern Japan.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said Thursday’s quake measured 7.1 on the Richter scale and was centered in waters off the eastern coast of Kyushu, at a depth of about 30 kilometers (19 miles) below the sea surface.
The city of Nichinan and surrounding areas in Miyazaki Prefecture on Kyushu Island were hardest hit by the quake.
Risk of new earthquake greater than expected
The agency said that Tsunami waves were detected along parts of the southern coast of Kyushu and the neighboring island of Shikoku about half an hour after the earthquake.
The agency’s seismologists then met to determine whether the quake had affected the Nankai Trough, a source of devastating earthquakes in the past.
They then published an assessment that The risk of a new earthquake in the area from Kyushu to central Japan is higher than previously predictedThe agency said it would continue to closely monitor plate movements near the Nankai Trough.
Seismologist Naoshi Hirata of the University of Tokyo, a member of an expert group, urged coastal residents along the trench to review their earthquake preparedness, speaking at a joint news conference with officials from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
“There is a 70 to 80 percent chance that a magnitude 8 or 9 earthquake will occur in the Nankai Trough in the next 30 years.”adds Naoshi Hirata, who says Thursday’s earthquake has increased that probability. He asked residents to remain cautious for a week.
The Japanese Prime Minister told reporters that The government’s crisis management team would strengthen disaster preparedness and called on residents to pay particular attention to information provided by the authorities in the event of a new major earthquake and not to spread disinformation.
Earthquakes in areas where nuclear power plants are located have been a major concern since a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011.
Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. The archipelago is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a line of seismic faults that encircle the Pacific Ocean.
On January 1, 2024, a earthquake in the Noto region of northern Japan, left more than 240 dead.