Search - megaquake

 
 
EDITORIALS
Sep 3, 2012

Preparing for Nankai megaquake

The Cabinet Office's Central Disaster Prevention Council said Wednesday that a megaquake of magnitude-9 in the Nankai Trough off the Pacific coasts and its ensuing tsunami could kill up to 323,000 people in 30 prefectures including Tokyo, with about 70 percent of the deaths tsunami-related. Malfunctioning...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2022

Megaquake in Tokyo would likely leave 4.53 million stranded, report shows

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been working to secure facilities that would serve as temporary shelters for stranded people.
EDITORIALS
Mar 25, 2013

Coping with a Nankai megaquake

It is estimated that economic damage from a magnitude-9 quake centered in the Pacific's Nankai Trough could amount to 40 percent of Japan's GDP.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2018

New report highlights risks of fire and building collapse in central Tokyo following predicted megaquake

Communities stretching across southern Adachi and Arakawa wards, western Katsushika Ward, and northern parts of Sumida and Koto wards are at the highest risk, according to the report.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 26, 2017

Earthquake forecasts are bogus

The government should acknowledge that science is unable to reliably prediect when earthquakes will strike or how big they will be when they do, and stop making alarming forecasts.
Japan Times
JAPAN / WEEK 3
Mar 20, 2011

'Nothing can prepare you to witness this'

It's a relatively minor incident that gets me. I'm at a gymnasium in central Ishinomaki photographing members of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) as they unload dozens of corpses from a truck. Each is wrapped in blankets, some with flowery designs far too cheerful for this occasion.
EDITORIALS
Apr 19, 2012

New worst-case scenario

A panel of the Cabinet Office announced late last month that if a megaquake occurs in the Nankai Trough, a tsunami higher than 20 meters may hit 23 municipalities in six prefectures stretching from Kanto to Shikoku on Japan's Pacific side. The prediction represents a worst-case scenario that happens...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2012

869 Tohoku tsunami parallels stun

When the Great East Japan Earthquake hit Tohoku on March 11 last year, quake researcher Masanobu Shishikura grabbed a tablet computer and called up the website of the U.S. Geological Survey in Virginia to search for information.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 14, 2011

Tokai Big One still tops in speculation

Seismologists have warned of the likelihood of a Tokai region earthquake for years.
JAPAN / WEEK 3
May 15, 2011

Author's fiction turns horribly real

The Pacific Ocean a few kilometers off the coast of a city in the Tokai region of central Honshu turns white. Hundreds of curious holidaymakers caught in a traffic jam on the seaside road get out of their cars and jump up onto the sea wall for a better view of the strange sight — only to realize that...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Apr 25, 2022

Hokkaido underprepared for offshore winter quakes and 'ice tsunami' destruction

Ice tsunamis can block the spaces between buildings and in streets, causing water to overflow into open spaces and cause faster and higher levels of flooding than otherwise expected.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 8, 2022

The tsunami could kill thousands. Can they build an escape?

Along many stretches of the Northwest coast of the U.S., there are no bluffs or high buildings to climb — nowhere to go.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2021

Tokyo area quake reignites concerns over capital's seismic vulnerability

The Meteorological Agency was quick to dispel speculation that the tremor — a magnitude 5.9 earthquake that shook Tokyo late Thursday night — could be a foreshock for a larger quake.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Remembering 3/11
Mar 6, 2021

A decade on, real challenges lie ahead for communities devastated by March 2011 disaster

With the government poised to significantly reduce the subsidies handed out to areas recovering from the catastrophe, will the city of Ishinomaki be able to stand on its own?
Workers remove debris from a damaged house in the city of Miyazaki on Thursday following a major earthquake.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 9, 2024

Nankai Trough megaquake concerns become 'real' among locals

Some Kyushu residents are starting to worry about their safety and are taking extra precautions.
Naoshi Hirata (center), chairman of a committee tasked with evaluating the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Aug 9, 2024

Japan issued its first-ever megaquake alert. What does that mean?

How serious is the situation, and what should people do in the days to come? Here’s what you need to know.
A sign says "bottled water is being rationed, with a cap of one case (six bottles) per customer" in a supermarket in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Saturday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 10, 2024

People urged to avoid panic-buying as megaquake fears spread

Authorities urged people to avoid hoarding as anxiety over a possible megaquake triggered a spike in demand for disaster kits and daily necessities.
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.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 11, 2024

Japan is living in the shadow of the megaquake

People tend to view the quake 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.
Naoshi Hirata, chairman of a committee tasked with evaluating the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday evening.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2024

Japan issues first-ever alert over risk of Nankai Trough megaquake

It is believed that the chance of a major earthquake occurring in the Nankai Trough is relatively higher than usual, the weather agency said.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday following a major earthquake in the Kyushu region.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2024

Kyushu escapes major damage from magnitude 7.1 earthquake

The quake led to at least 13 injuries, with three residential buildings suffering damage.
A screenshot of the Nigetore app (left) five minutes after the start of practice evacuation using a 15-minute setting for “preparation time.” On the right, two screenshots show the outcomes of drills and a map indicating an evacuation route with tsunami inundation areas highlighted.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Sep 11, 2023

Tsunami evacuation app offers realistic quake preparation experience

Personal tsunami evacuation drill app Nigetore allows users to choose their own evacuation routes and evaluate their success.
A 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Kanto region on Friday evening.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2024

Magnitude 5.3 quake strikes Kanto region

The quake, with an epicenter in western Kanagawa Prefecture, occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers. There was no threat of a tsunami.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida canceled a four-day visit to Central Asia from Friday to prioritize responding to a higher quake risk.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 11, 2024

Concerns over Central Asia diplomacy after Kishida cancels trip

Some regret that Japan missed an important opportunity to increase its presence in Central Asia.
A tsunami advisory, shown in yellow, was issued following an earthquake in Kyushu on Tuesday afternoon.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2024

Tsunami advisory lifted after strong quake jolts Kyushu

The 7.1 magnitude quake, measuring a weak 7 on Japan's intensity scale, triggered small tsunami waves in some areas.
The platforms at Tokyo Station were packed with passengers on Saturday morning.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2024

Bon holiday visits in full swing amid increased quake fears

Train stations have been crowded with passengers, with some travelers aiming to take extra precautions.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even through immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’