Written by Hanae
Edited by Aleeya Balqis
A 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck off the southern island of Kyushu and caused some minor damage prompted the warning to be issued | Source: BBC News
JAPAN, 19th August 2024: One week after issuing the warning, Japan has withdrawn its alert on a possible “megaquake”.
The warning stated that although there was a heavier-than-usual chance of a major earthquake, it was not imminent and advised residents to remain vigilant rather than evacuate.
The Japanese government announced that citizens may "go back to normal lifestyles" and that they were no longer required to take any particular precautions.
In response to the warning, thousands of Japanese people cancelled their travel plans and stocked up on essentials, which also affected some high-speed rail services.
According to Kyodo news agency, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported on Wednesday, that they have not observed any seismic activity in the area, believed to be the source of the megaquake, which would suggest any concerning developments.
Although the warning has been lifted, the risk of a major earthquake still remains, stated by the disaster management minister Yoshifumi Matsumura.
At 17:00 local time (09:00 BST), he declared that there were no anomalies seen in "seismic activity and crustal deformation," hence the alert for heightened readiness was withdrawn.
"But it doesn't mean the risk (of a major earthquake) has been eliminated," he remarked to the reporters.
"We have been asking for special precautions, such as sleeping while being prepared to evacuate immediately. But we will no longer ask for these steps, and the people of Japan are free to go back to normal lifestyles," he concluded.
The alert was issued just hours after an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 struck the southern island of Kyushu.
Given the epicentre's location at the edge of the Nankai Trough, a seismic zone extending along Japan's Pacific coast, experts have been placed on high alert.
The plate boundary stretches between Suruga Bay in central Japan and the Hyuganada Sea in Kyushu to the south.
Map showing the Nankai Trough | Source: BBC News
There have been reports of empty shelves in some supermarkets or restrictions placed on the purchase of certain commodities, such as bottled water, since the warning.
A trip to Central Asia was cancelled by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. As a precaution, several bullet trains had also decreased their speed.
Thousands of people have died as a result of previous Nankai Trough earthquakes. There is evidence of these megaquakes happening around every 90 to 200 years; with the most recent one recorded in 1946.
The Kyodo news agency reports that experts estimate there is a 70% to 80% probability that a magnitude 8 or 9 earthquake will occur anywhere in the trough within the next 30 years. The worst-case scenarios indicate that the earthquake and possible tsunami might take the lives of over 200,000 people.—TBC
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