Japan lifted its first-ever Nankai Trough megaquake alert on Thursday, with no major change in seismic activity or crustal movements detected off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture over the past week after a magnitude 7.1 temblor struck the region.
Authorities, however, noted that although the alert is lifted, the possibility of a large-scale earthquake remains.
“It is important for everyone to continue securing furniture and checking evacuation sites as part of their regular earthquake preparedness,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a regular news conference on Thursday morning.