Japan prepares for a Megaquake! The worst is expected in the next 30 years.
Japan is preparing to face a “Megaquake,” a massive earthquake, as the Earthquake Research Commission of Japan has raised the risk level to 82%, which could trigger a giant tsunami. The earthquake is expected to occur within the next 30 years.
The Earthquake Research Commission of Japan has increased the risk of a “megaquake” in the country from 74-81% to 75-82%. The magnitude of the expected quake is predicted to range from 8 to 9, which would be a catastrophic disaster with a high destructive power, potentially claiming up to 200,000 lives in the next 30 years.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 8 to 9 would be similar to the 2011 earthquake that struck Japan. That event caused a giant tsunami that devastated the Pacific coastline of northern Japan, destroying several cities, and triggering explosions at the Fukushima 1 and 2 nuclear power plants. This led to elevated levels of radiation in the surrounding areas, which raised significant concerns among the Japanese population.
The potential megaquake in the next 30 years could be triggered by the movement of the “Nankai Trough,” located off the Pacific coast of Japan. The Nankai Trough is over 800 kilometers long. Over the past 1,400 years, earthquakes along the trough have occurred every 100 to 200 years. The most recent major earthquake occurred 79 years ago (in 1946), and since then, the risk of an earthquake has increased by 1% each year.
In 2012, the Japanese government forecasted that if a “Megaquake” were to occur, it could generate a tsunami up to 30 meters high off small islands near the coast. The densely populated areas on Honshu and Shikoku would be hit by giant waves within minutes.
In the past year, Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued its first megaquake warning after the 2011 Tohoku tsunami disaster, and it is now considered most likely that a large earthquake will occur in the Nankai Trough area.
Professor Takuya Nishimura from the Disaster Prevention Research Institute at Kyoto University said that major earthquakes along the Nankai Trough have occurred frequently in history, and there is no doubt that a large earthquake is likely to occur again soon.
He added, “Everyone must be aware of the disaster and prepare for a major earthquake. It should not be considered just a possibility.”
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