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A strong earthquake struck southern Japan on Thursday, causing mostly minor injuries but raising the level of concern about possible major earthquakes from an underwater trough east of the coast.
The quake prompted seismologists to hold an emergency meeting in which they raised the risk level of major earthquakes linked to the Nankai Trough east of southern Japan. They issued an assessment that the potential for a future earthquake in the area from Kyushu to central Japan is higher than previously predicted.
The agency said it will continue to closely monitor plate movements near the Nankai Valley.
This does not mean there is an immediate risk of a major earthquake in the near future, but they urged residents along the coast along the trough - which stretches for about 500 kilometers (310 miles) - to review their earthquake preparedness , University of Tokyo seismologist Naoshi Hirata, a member of an expert panel , said at a joint press conference with JMA officials.
" There is a 70-80% chance that a magnitude 8 or 9 earthquake will emanate from the Nankai Trough within the next 30 years ," Hirata added, noting that Thursday's quake increases that probability even though the exact timing or location is not yet known. can be predicted. He urged residents to keep their alert levels high for a week for now.
Thursday's earthquake registered a magnitude of 7.1 and was centered in waters off the east coast of Kyushu at a depth of about 30 kilometers (about 19 miles) below the sea's surface, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The earthquake mostly shook the city of Nichinan and surrounding areas in Miyazaki Prefecture on Kyushu Island.
The agency said tsunami waves of up to 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) were detected along parts of the southern coast of Kyushu and the nearby island of Shikoku about half an hour after the quake struck. Tsunami advisories were issued but lifted for most areas three hours later, and for all remaining coastlines five and a half hours later.
Officials said nine people were injured on Japan's main southern island of Kyushu, but the injuries were mostly minor. There were no reports of serious damage.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that the government's crisis management team must increase disaster preparedness and urged residents to heed information from authorities in the event of another major one and never spread misinformation.
JMA Seismology Department official Shigeki Aoki warned that strong aftershocks could occur for about a week.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK said windows were broken at Miyazaki Airport near the epicenter. The airport runway was temporarily closed for security checks.
Kyushu super-express "shinkansen" trains returned to normal operation after temporary safety checks, but a number of local train lines in the quake-hit areas would be suspended until Friday, according to Kyushu Railway Co. NHK showed dozens of people gathering at a designated evacuation zone on top of the hill.
In Osaki in neighboring Kagoshima Prefecture, concrete walls collapsed and a wooden house was damaged, but no injuries were reported. The Nuclear Regulatory Authority said all 12 nuclear reactors, including three currently operating, in Kyushu and Shikoku remain safe.
Earthquakes in nuclear power plant areas have been a major concern since a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Japan is located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a line of seismic faults that encircle the Pacific Ocean, and is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. An earthquake on January 1 in Japan's north-central region of Noto left more than 240 dead.
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