Japan rescinds ‘megaquake’ warning

Japan has rescinded its recent alert about a possible “megaquake,” just one week after the warning was first issued. The initial advisory had instructed residents to remain vigilant, not to evacuate, and stated that while there was an elevated risk of a significant earthquake, it was not imminent. The Japanese government has now announced that it is no longer asking residents to take special precautions and that they may “return to their normal lifestyles.”

In the aftermath of the warning, numerous Japanese citizens canceled planned travel and stocked up on essential supplies, and some high-speed rail services were impacted as well. According to a report by the Kyodo news agency, the Japan Meteorological Agency stated that as of Wednesday, no seismic activity or other signs have indicated concerning changes in the area believed to be the potential origin of a megaquake.

Despite the lifting of last week’s warning, the threat of a major earthquake persists, said disaster management minister Yoshifumi Matsumura. He clarified that since no anomalies were found in seismic activity or crustal deformation, the call for heightened preparedness was rescinded at 17:00 local time (09:00 BST). “However, this doesn’t mean the risk of a major earthquake has vanished,” he explained to reporters.

“We had asked the public to take special precautions, such as sleeping with an evacuation plan in mind. We are no longer urging these measures, and Japanese citizens can resume their normal daily activities,” he added.

The initial alert was issued just hours after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Kyushu, Japan’s southern island. Experts were on high alert due to the location of the epicenter—at the periphery of the Nankai Trough, a seismically active region stretching along Japan’s Pacific coast. The boundary of the tectonic plates runs from Suruga Bay in central Japan to the Hyuganada Sea in southern Kyushu.

Following last week’s alert, some stores reported empty shelves or imposed limits on purchases of items such as bottled water. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida canceled a trip to Central Asia, and several bullet trains operated at reduced speeds as a precaution.

Historical records indicate that previous earthquakes along the Nankai Trough have resulted in thousands of fatalities. These massive earthquakes tend to occur every 90 to 200 years, with the last significant one happening in 1946. According to experts cited by the Kyodo news agency, there is a 70% to 80% likelihood of a magnitude 8 or 9 earthquake striking along the trough within the next 30 years. In the worst-case scenario, it is estimated that over 200,000 people could perish in the earthquake and the resulting tsunami.