Japan braces for once-in-a-century mega earthquake; worst-case scenarios predict it can kill over 300,000

Japanese authorities released an unprecedented megaquake advisory last week — triggering panicked hoarding of supplies, cancelled vacations and diplomatic interruptions. The Indian Embassy in Japan also shared a message asking citizens to prepare for natural disasters after the warning. Scientists believe that an earthquake in the (underwater) Nankai Trough area could cause tremors with a magnitude over 9 on the Richter scale.

The warning was shared hours after two powerful earthquakes struck off the southern coast of Japan on Thursday. The first had a magnitude of 6.9 and was followed by a 7.1 magnitude tremor. The twin quakes triggered a tsunami warning but ultimately saw no major damage or deaths being reported. Experts however say that a megaquake — an earthquake of over 8-magnitude — may strike Japan in the coming days.

“The likelihood of a new major earthquake is higher than normal, but this is not an indication that a major earthquake will definitely occur during a specific period of time,” the advisory explained.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also cancelled a planned trip to Central Asia on Friday to lead a potential government response.

Japan faces earthquakes on a regular basis due to its position along the Pacific Ring of Fire — a tectonic belt of volcanoes and seismic activity sites. The possibility of a one-in-a-lifetime megaquake has long shadowed residents with experts predicting massive tremors with a magnitude of 8 or 9 within the next 30 years. It is however pertinent to note that there is no actual way to predict an earthquake — apart from automated warnings provide mere seconds of advance notice. 

According to reports, a worst-case scenario can leave more than 300,000 people dead as a wall of water (potentially as high as 100 feet) strikes the Pacific coast of Japan. 

Local media reports suggest that the megaquake advisory is set to be lifted on Thursday this week if no abnormalities in seismic activity are detected.

(With inputs from agencies)