Japan ends higher earthquake risk advisory issued after strong quake.
Japan has ended its advisory issued last week warning of relatively higher chances of a megaquake in the Nankai Trough region. This comes after no abnormal seismic activity was observed in the area in the past week.
The advisory was first released by an expert panel under the Japan Meteorological Agency on August 8, in the wake of a magnitude 7.1 quake that struck southwest Japan. It had asked residents in wide areas to review evacuation plans.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had canceled a foreign tour that weekend to focus on disaster management. A magnitude 5.3 quake on August 9 near Tokyo caused minimal damage.
Central Japan Railway had also taken precautions like reducing train speeds near coastal regions. This step was ended although Typhoon Ampil’s approach forced cancellation of some services on Friday.
Japan faces a 70-80% probability of a Nankai Trough quake in the next 30 years. Past estimates show it can kill over 300,000 people and cause economic losses of $1.5 trillion.
The country is highly prone to quakes, with a 2011 magnitude 9 triggering a massive tsunami and nuclear disaster. Now with seismic calm in the warned region, authorities have down the higher-risk warning.
