ISTANBUL: Japan’s weather office has issued a warning that there is a “increased chance” of a “massive” earthquake striking the nation.
The alert was sent out after a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake rocked southwest Japan on Thursday, prompting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to postpone his travel to Central Asia until Friday.
This is the Japan Meteorological Agency’s “first such advisory for areas around the Nankai Trough,” which stretches from southwest to central Japan, according to Kyodo News in Tokyo.
“In the worst-case scenario, a powerful temblor could shake a wide area of Japan — from the Kanto region centering on Tokyo to the southwestern Kyushu region — and high tsunami waves could engulf the coastal areas of Kanto to Okinawa,” according to the agency.
Following Thursday’s earthquake, which struck the region, Miyazaki and two nearby provinces reported several casualties as well as building damage.
This year on New Year’s Day, a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck Japan, leaving at least 19 people missing from the central Noto Peninsula and 238 dead.
As co-chair of the inaugural summit with the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, Kishida was scheduled to travel to Astana.
He would later take a plane to Mongolia to meet with Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene and President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh.
The planned programs, however, have been postponed.
