“High probability of a large-magnitude earthquake”: the alert that Japan has triggered for the coming days

A earthquake magnitude 7.1 shook Japan last Thursday. And although the country is already accustomed to high-intensity earthquakes, THE Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a worrying alert for the coming days.

As they explained, after the intense earthquake recorded on the island of Kyushu, a group of experts met to assess If this movement could be linked to the “Nankai Trench mega-earthquake”, a long fault which has threatened for several years to cause a larger and more devastating earthquake.

This is the concern of a potential mega-earthquake which, as noted The Third Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has announced the cancellation of a trip he planned to make this weekend to “focus on the government’s response and the dissemination of information.”

This is what we know about the earthquake.

As the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) clarified, following last Thursday’s 7.1, The probability of generating a large earthquake is “higher than usual.”

And for a long time, Japan is expecting a mega-earthquake on the Nankai fault off its east coast.

An article by The New York Times He remembered last year, A group of researchers assured that there was a 60% probability that an earthquake of magnitude 8 to 9 would occur in this area in the next 20 to 30 years.

To give you an idea, This earthquake would be much more devastating than the one in 2011, which was the most powerful to hit Japan to date. According to the Japan National Police Agency On this occasion, 15,893 deaths were recorded, 2,556 people were missing and 6,152 were injured.

This is why the alarm is being sounded in this Asian country, because The Nankai Fault runs from Kyushu, one of Japan’s main islands, north through the capital, Tokyo. In other words, if this were to happen, several cities in the country would be seriously affected, not to mention the possibility of a devastating tsunami.

“The possibility of a large-magnitude earthquake occurring in the Nankai fault zone is relatively higher than usual” was the AMJ statement.

This risk would be particularly high for a week after the initial tremor. In other words, Japan could be in danger until next Thursday, August 15.

The government has declared itself on “high alert” and, in parallel, the meteorological agency has issued a “caution” alert. If there were more signs that the earthquake was imminent, a higher alert level would be declared so that residents could evacuate areas prone to the effects of a tsunami in time.

Fumio Kishida, Japanese Prime Minister, He called on the population to be ready at all times and for any eventuality.

However, Naoshi Hirata, a seismologist at University of Tokyo and expert who accompanied the Japanese Meteorological Agency during a press briefing, assured that This does not mean that the danger is 100% certain, but rather a warning signal for citizens and cities to prepare for a possible strong movement.

He also stressed that It is impossible to predict when and where exactly an earthquake will occur. Therefore, the warning is to remain cautious and prepared.

After the earthquake that shook much of western Japan, Tsunami warnings were quickly activated for various areas of the southwestern islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, as reported by Japanese public television NHK.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has detected that The epicenter of the earthquake was in the sea near the east coast of Kyushu, at a depth of 30 kilometers. . As added by United States Geological Survey , The movement occurred less than 32 kilometers off the coast of Miyazaki.

About half an hour after the earthquake, tsunami waves of up to 50 centimeters were detected. However, Three hours later, tsunami warnings were lifted in the surrounding area and, five and a half hours later, on the rest of the Japanese coast.

The strong 7.1 magnitude earthquake caused some damage but fortunately no deaths. According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, nine people were injured, mostly from falls or being hit by objects. However, these were “minor injuries”.

For its part, NHK reported that Windows were broken at Miyazaki Airport and the runway was temporarily closed until it can safely operate again.

In Osaki, another Japanese city, several concrete walls collapsed and a wooden house was damaged.

In addition, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority reported that The 12 nuclear reactors near the epicenter were not damaged and do not pose a risk for the coming weeks.

Despite the slight damage, authorities continue to urge people to exercise caution and be prepared. Shigeki Aoki, head of the AMJ’s seismology department, He warned that strong aftershocks could still occur, at least in the first week.

And Kishida, the prime minister, assured that the government would strengthen its disaster preparedness to deal with a possible major earthquake. Yes indeed, The authority asked the Japanese public to pay attention to official information and not to spread erroneous or incomplete information.