A strong earthquake struck off the coast of southern Japan on Thursday, raising concerns that a major quake could strike as soon as this week.
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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called off a visit to Central Asia amid fears of a “major earthquake” in the near future after a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of southern Japan on Thursday.
Authorities said nine people were injured on Japan's southern main island of Kyushu, but most of the injuries were minor. No serious damage was reported and a tsunami warning for the quake was later lifted.
However, the quake prompted seismologists to hold an emergency meeting to reassess the risk of a major earthquake linked to the Nankai Trough in southern eastern Japan and raise its level.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said Thursday's quake was centred off the east coast of Kyushu, at a depth of about 30 kilometres (19 miles), and recorded a magnitude of 7.1.
The earthquake caused the most severe shaking in and around Nichinan city, Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu.
The Japan Meteorological Agency announced that tsunamis of up to 50 centimetres were observed along parts of the southern Kyushu coast and near Shikoku about 30 minutes after the earthquake.
Seismologists from the Japan Meteorological Agency held an emergency meeting to analyze whether the quake had an impact on the nearby Nankai Trough, which has been the source of several devastating earthquakes in the past.
The agency later announced that it had assessed that the likelihood of future earthquakes occurring in the region from Kyushu to the Chubu region was higher than previously expected, and said it would continue to closely monitor plate movements near the Nankai Trough.
While this does not mean there is an imminent risk of a major earthquake occurring in the near future, Nao Hirata, a seismologist at the University of Tokyo and member of the expert panel, said at a joint press conference with JMA officials that he urged coastal residents along the trench to reconsider their earthquake preparedness.
Hirata said there was a 70-80 percent chance of a magnitude 8 or 9 earthquake originating from the Nankai Trough occurring within the next 30 years, adding that Thursday's quake had increased that probability but it was not possible to predict when or exactly where it would occur. He urged residents to maintain a high level of alert for a week.
Kishida told reporters that the government's crisis management team would step up disaster preparations, and urged residents to pay close attention to official information and never spread false information in case another major earthquake occurs.
Earthquakes have been a major concern in areas with nuclear power plants since the devastating earthquake and tsunami that caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011.
Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, located on the Pacific Ocean's Ring of Fire, a line of earthquake faults that surrounds it.
More than 240 people were killed when an earthquake struck Noto in north-central Japan on January 1st.
