Thread: Japan issues first 'megaquake' warning after 7.1-magnitude temblor

TOKYO — Japan issued its first warning Thursday about the possibility of a long-feared "megaquake" after a powerful 7.1-magnitude temblor struck off its southern coast, sparking a tsunami advisory but no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries.

The earthquake occurred off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture on the main island of Kyushu at 4:42 p.m. local time (3:42 a.m. ET), at a depth of about 18 miles, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.


Three people were reported injured, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said, although he added that there had been no blackouts or damage to the water or communications systems reported in the region. Police in Miyazaki Prefecture said there had been 10 reports of damage. Hayashi urged residents to stay away from the coastline.


Seismologists held an emergency meeting to analyze whether the quake had affected the nearby Nankai Trough — the source of past devastating earthquakes. The meteorological agency ultimately issued what it called a "mega earthquake caution," assessing that the possibility of a large quake was relatively higher than usual but not that one would definitely occur in the near future.


It urged the country's residents to practice increased vigilance for the next week.


"We ask all citizens to carefully check every new information issued by the government, reconfirm their daily earthquake preparedness, and be ready to evacuate immediately in the event of an earthquake," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a news briefing.


Earlier, officials issued a tsunami advisory following Thursday morning's quake, warning residents to immediately leave coastal areas of Kochi and Miyazaki prefectures until the warning is lifted. Advisories are issued when the waves are not expected to exceed 1 meter (3.3 feet).


Tsunami waves of up to 1.6 feet were detected along parts of Kyushu’s southern coast and the nearby island of Shikoku about a half hour after the quake struck. Japanese broadcaster NHK said Miyazaki Port had reported a surge of 20 inches.


That said, most of the damage so far has been relatively light. Police in Miyazaki Prefecture said there have been some reports of landslides and some traffic lights have stopped working. NHK said some windows were broken at the prefecture's airport and that the runway had been temporarily closed for checks.


Meanwhile, in neighboring Kagoshima Prefecture, concrete walls collapsed and a wooden house was damaged.


Of the people injured across the two prefectures, two are reported to be older women, who were taken to hospital after falling, while another was a female factory worker struck in the back by a falling object.


The Nuclear Regulation Authority said all 12 nuclear reactors on Kyushu and Shikoku remain safe. Earthquakes in areas with nuclear power plants have been a major concern since a massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011.


Japan sits on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' — a line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean — and is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries. A temblor there Jan. 1 in Japan’s north-central region of Noto left more than 240 people dead.


Japan issues Nankai Trough '''megaquake''' warning after 7.1-magnitude temblor

Do you think spamdeath will start another pointless thread and drag it out for months?

do bears shit in rural surin?

Originally Posted by misskit

Earlier, officials issued a tsunami advisory following Thursday morning's quake, warning residents to immediately leave coastal areas

Smart move...

Japanese urged to avoid panic-buying as megaquake fears spread

Authorities in Japan urged people to avoid hoarding as anxiety over a possible megaquake triggered a spike Saturday in demand for disaster kits and daily necessities.


In its first such advisory, the weather agency said a huge earthquake was more likely in the aftermath of a magnitude 7.1 jolt in the south on Thursday which left 14 people injured.


At a Tokyo supermarket on Saturday, a sign was put up apologising to customers for shortages of certain products it attributed to "quake-related media reports".


"Potential sales restrictions are on the way", the sign said, adding bottled water was already being rationed due to "unstable" procurement.


On Saturday morning the website of Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten showed portable toilets, preserved food and bottled water topping the list of the most sought-after items.


In Tokyo, some residents were ramping up their disaster preparedness.


Bar employee Kokoro Takeuchi said she had ordered bottled water online following Thursday's tremor.


"I'm very worried," the 27-year-old told AFP.


"The bar I work at is underground so if a quake happens all of a sudden, there's a good chance we might not be able to escape. So I've been trying to figure out how best to evacuate," she said.


But others were more resigned to the inevitability of the megaquake.


"I am worried of course, but overthinking about it will get you nowhere", company worker Mika Nakagawa, 34, told AFP.


"If it happens, then that's that," she said.


Some retailers along the Pacific coastline also reported similar disaster-related supplies in high demand, according to local media reports.


The advisory concerns the Nankai Trough "subduction zone" between two tectonic plates in the Pacific Ocean, where massive earthquakes have hit in the past.


- Low risk -


It has been the site of destructive quakes of magnitude eight or nine every century or two, with the central government previously estimating the next big one would strike over the next 30 years roughly with a 70 percent probability.


Experts however emphasise the risk, while elevated, is still low, and the agriculture and fisheries ministry urged people "to refrain from excessively hoarding goods".


A magnitude-5.3 tremor rocked the Kanagawa region near Tokyo Friday, triggering emergency alarms on mobile phones and briefly suspending bullet train operations.


Most seismologists believe the Friday jolt had no direct link to the Nankai Trough megaquake, citing distance.


On social media platform X, spam posts taking advantage of fears over the megaquake are rapidly mushrooming.


Public broadcaster NHK said spam disguised as helpful quake-related tips was being posted every few seconds on X, with links that instead direct users toward porn or e-commerce sites.


Such posts are "making it increasingly difficult for users to reach genuine information about quakes", NHK said.


Sitting on top of four major tectonic plates, the Japanese archipelago of 125 million people sees some 1,500 quakes every year, most of them minor.


On January 1, a 7.6-sized jolt and powerful aftershocks hit the Noto Peninsula on the Sea of Japan coast, killing at least 318 people, toppling buildings and knocking out roads.


Japanese urged to avoid panic-buying as megaquake fears spread

What the fuck have you done?!?

You’ve just given that insane compulsive head banging lunatic another opportunity to practise his obsession.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

What the fuck have you done?!?

You’ve just given that insane compulsive head banging lunatic another opportunity to practise his obsession.

He’d start the thread if no one else did.

Originally Posted by misskit

Japanese urged to avoid panic-buying as megaquake fears spread

I wonder if they've cleaned out all the bog roll given those space age toilets they've got?

Originally Posted by DrWilly

He’d start the thread if no one else did.

No, that would take a scintilla of initiative.

I wonder if it's related to global warming?

Thousands cancel trips in Japan after megaquake alert

TOKYO: Japan's unprecedented megaquake advisory has prompted thousands of hotel cancellations in areas flagged as high-risk, dealing businesses a heavy blow in what would have been one of the busiest seasons, hoteliers said Tuesday (Aug 13).


The weather agency said last week a huge earthquake was more likely in the aftermath of a magnitude 7.1 jolt in the south on Thursday, which left at least 15 people injured.


The advisory, the first of its kind, does not mean a colossal tremor is imminent, but that the risk of such an event has now been elevated, if still low, authorities have said.


Subject to the warning is the so-called "Nankai Trough" 800km undersea zone that runs from Shizuoka, west of Tokyo, to the southern tip of Kyushu island.


In western Kochi, among the regions projected to be hit hardest, at least 9,400 people have cancelled their hotel bookings since the alert was issued last week, according to a local hotel union.


The cancellations covering the period from Aug 9 to Aug 18 amount to a loss of around 140 million yen (US$948,000) in revenue, Susumu Nishitani, a union representative told AFP.

Thousands cancel trips in Japan after megaquake alert - CNA