A 7.1-magnitude earthquake rocked the southern coast of Japan on Thursday, Aug. 8, prompting the country to issue its first “megaquake” warning.
The temblor occurred around 4:42 p.m. local time (3:42 a.m. Eastern time) off the coast of the Miyazaki prefecture and at a depth of 18 miles, said the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) in a news release.
A tsunami warning was issued after the quake. “Anyone in the sea should get out of the water immediately and move away from the coast,” the agency said. “The tides will continue to be strong, so please do not enter the sea or approach the coast until the warning is lifted.”
The Associated Press, reported, per officials, that nine people suffered minor injuries on the main island of Kyushu and there were no indications of major damage.
All tsunami advisories were later lifted, according to The Japan Times.
Following Thursday’s quake, the JMA scheduled an emergency meeting “to investigate the relationship with the large-scale earthquake expected in the Nankai Trough,” which has been regarded as a source of previous destructive quakes, per NBC News.
“People living in areas where damage is expected from a Nankai Trough earthquake should take action to protect their own safety according to their individual circumstances,” said the JMA.
The meteorological agency ultimately issued what it called a “mega earthquake caution,” assessing that the possibility of a large quake was relatively higher than usual but not that one would definitely occur in the near future, reported NBC News.
Additionally, in an X post shared on Thursday, the JMA wrote: “The possibility of a large-scale earthquake occurring in the expected focal area of the Nankai Trough earthquake is considered to be relatively higher than usual. Please take disaster prevention measures in accordance with future calls from the government and local governments.”
At a news conference, the meteorological agency advised that people in the impacted areas should watch out for tremors measuring up to the lower 6 in the coming week, including the next two to three days, The Japan Times reported.
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kushida issued instructions regarding earthquake response efforts, such as providing “timely and accurate information to the public regarding the tsunami, evacuation, etc.,” assessing “the state of affairs regarding damage as soon as possible,” and acting “in close coordination with local governments.”
The Japanese government had forecasted that the chances of a magnitude 8 to 9 earthquake taking place along the Nankai Trough within the next 30 years are about 70%-80%, reported the Kyodo News Agency, which added that the number of deaths could total up to 323,000, according to a 2012 estimate.
In 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake on the east coast of the country led to a tsunami that killed around 20,000 people.
The largest earthquake ever recorded was a 9.5-magnitude quake in Chile on May 22, 1960, per the United States Geological Survey.
