A warning has been issued in Japan due to the increased risk of a major earthquake. This has never happened before, writes A BBC.
In the alert issued overnight from Thursday to Friday, the government asked people to remain vigilant and continue their normal lives. They also added that the warning does not mean a strong earthquake is immediately possible, but that the probability is “higher than usual.”
Announce: Kiseda Fumio In light of the developments, the Prime Minister has cancelled his official weekend trips to Central Asia and will remain in the country.
All this happened just hours after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the southern island of Kyushu. No major damage was reported.
Experts are concerned that the epicenter of the quake was in the Nankai Trench along the Pacific coast, a seismic zone with a history of devastating earthquakes. Such massive quakes have killed thousands of people in the past. They typically occur every 90 to 200 years, with the last such instance occurring in 1946.
Experts agree that there is a 70 to 80 percent chance that Japan will be struck by a magnitude 8 or 9 earthquake in the next 30 years. According to the most pessimistic estimates, such an event and its accompanying tsunami could kill up to 200,000 people.
The warning will be in effect for one week, after which it will be reviewed.
Fumio Kishida
