Japan has issued a first-of-its-kind “great earthquake” advisory after a magnitude 7.1 quake struck the country’s southern coast on Thursday, injuring 14 people.
According to AFP report, this advice has caused panic among people and they are rushing to collect belongings and look for safe places. Even Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida cancelled his four-day visit to Central Asia after the alert was issued.
“As the prime minister with the highest responsibility for crisis management, I decided I should stay in Japan for at least one week,” Kishida told reporters.
Bullet trains between cities are running at reduced speeds and nuclear plants across the country have also been instructed to re-examine their disaster preparedness, AFP reported.
The earthquake in question is considered a once-in-a-century event and could trigger a tsunami if it occurs.
What is the advice?
First of all, scientists cannot predict earthquakes. However, in the last few years, with the right tools, they have learned to accurately forecast times of high risk of earthquakes.
“The probability of a new major earthquake is higher than normal, but this is not an indication that a major earthquake will definitely occur,” the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
Nevertheless, residents are asked to prepare for the worst, review evacuation routes and be alert to any incoming warnings.
Terrible earthquake
Geographically, Japan is located at the top of the Ring of Fire, which causes the country to experience around 1,500 earthquakes per year, though most of them are mere tremors and are harmless.
It could probably be different.
The advisory relates to the Nankai Trough ‘subduction zone’ between two tectonic plates in the Pacific Ocean. In technical terms, subduction zone faults build up stress over time and when one of those faults slips and releases that stress a massive earthquake occurs. Scientists believe this could trigger an earthquake of magnitude nine or more.
According to Japanese warning guidelines, the chance of a major earthquake occurring within a week of a magnitude 7 quake is about “one in a few hundred times,” according to a study last year. While the chance is high enough to warrant issuing an advisory, it’s entirely possible that the recent quakes won’t trigger a major quake.
According to AFP, the central government predicted in 2022 that an earthquake of this magnitude would occur within the next 30 years, with a roughly 70 percent probability. Experts believe a quake of this magnitude would kill thousands of people and cause trillions of dollars in damages – a terrifying prospect.