COMMENTARY / Japan

Japan is living in the shadow of the megaquake

Earthquake prediction itself is a fool’s errand. Still, it’s best to always be prepared for the worst.

A man makes his way along an earthquake-damaged street in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in January. With last week's tremors in Kyushu and the nature of the Nankai Trough, some experts believe that the omens of a disaster can be seen. | REUTERS

By Gearoid Reidy
Bloomberg

Aug 11, 2024

To live in Japan is to live with the risk of a devastating earthquake at any time.

Usually, however, people tend to view that threat in the abstract. It’s kind of like thinking about death — I know I’ll die someday, but I hope it won’t be today. And so far, at least, I keep getting lucky.

Until we don’t. Thursday’s announcement from Japanese authorities, warning of an increased risk of a long-feared megaquake, forced citizens to consider the very real and immediate danger of an event that would devastate the country and upend life as we know it.

Japan is living in the shadow of the megaquake

Earthquake prediction itself is a fool’s errand. Still, it’s best to always be prepared for the worst.

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