Japan has issued its first ever megaquake warning following tremors earlier today in the same area ‘one of the world’s deadliest earthquakes’ hit almost 80 years ago.
The 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, close to the city of Nichinan, at 4.43pm local time.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning following the powerful quake. They also took the unprecedented decision to issue a formal warning about a potential ‘megaquake.’
The agency said that submarines in the Nankai Trough, where part of the Eurasian tectonic plate meets with the Philippine tectonic plate, found that the chances of a major earthquake in the region was ‘relatively higher than usual for the next week.’
Earthquakes in the Nankai Trough typically occur every 100 to 150 years. The most recent quake to hit the area was 78 years ago in December 1946.
The 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, close to the city of Nichinan, at 4.43pm local time
People take shelter outside following the earthquake. Japan’s Meteorological Agency has issued a tsunami warning following the powerful quake
Visitors to the Peace Park crouch as an earthquake alert was issued in Nagasaki. Submarines n the Nankai Trough found that the chances of a major earthquake in the region was ‘relatively higher than usual for the next week’
That earthquake measured a magnitude of 8.1 and killed 1,300 people.
The Washington Post reported that the tsunami wave is expected to reach a height of just one metre but this could grow exponentially very quickly. Following the violent quake bullet trains have been halted in the area while the Japanese government assess the casualties and damage.
‘First time in my life I’ve felt shaking like this,’ one resident of Kyushu said as homes and power lines began to shake.
‘Normally I barely feel it when I’m outside or in a car, but it shook to the point that even when I’m standing, there was a fluttering feeling.’
The quake most strongly shook Nichinan city and nearby areas in Miyazaki prefecture on Kyushu island.
Footage from Japan showed light fixtures and wall decorations swinging as the earthquakes hit today.
Broadcaster NHK showed footage of traffic lights shaking violently in Miyazaki on Kyushu’s southeast coast.
‘The surface of the sea is wavering. I felt an intense jolt when the quake happened which lasted for between 30 seconds and a minute,’ one local official told NHK.
Video showed power lines and buildings shaking as the earthquakes reached land, on Kyushu
People evacuate trains in Japan amid the earthquakes today and widespread cancellations
Others brace inside a shopping centre as tremors disrupt daily activities
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wrote on Twitter/X that he had issued instructions in response, and that authorities were collecting information on damage. ‘Please continue to be on the lookout for strong shaking and take action to protect your lives,’ he wrote
The broadcaster also reported that three people were hurt in Miyazaki but gave no indication of the extent of their injuries.
Japan’s meteorological society predicted waves of up to 1 meter (3.3 feet) along the southern coast of Kyushu and Shikoku.
The United States Geological Survey initially reported that the first quake was followed by another 7.1 magnitude tremor.
However this was later deemed an error, the agency confirming there had only been one tremor.
‘This error has been fixed. There was one event,’ the USGS said.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) also reported a single quake.
NHK reported that there were no abnormalities detected at Japan’s Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima, harking back to the devastating Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011 as power supplies were knocked offline by an earthquake.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority said all 12 nuclear reactors, including three which are currently operating, on Kyushu and Shikoku remained safe.
The Japanese government has set up a special task force in response to the quakes, the USGS reported.
Seismologists were also holding an emergency meeting to analyse whether the quake had affected the nearby Nankai Trough, the source of past devastating earthquakes.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said officials were assessing possible injuries or serious damage, though none were immediately reported.
He urged residents of the affected region to stay away from the coastline.
Light fixtures started to shake as authorities told residents to get to higher ground
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wrote on Twitter/X that he had issued instructions in response, and that authorities were collecting information on damage.
‘Please continue to be on the lookout for strong shaking and take action to protect your lives,’ he wrote.
On New Year’s Day, at least 260 people died after a massive earthquake hit the peninsula, including 30 ‘quake-linked’ deaths as well as those killed directly in the disaster.
The January 1 quake and its aftershocks toppled buildings, caused fires and knocked out infrastructure at a time when families were celebrating the new year.
Sitting along along the western edge of the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’,Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries.
More than 15,000 people were killed in a magnitude 9 quake in 2011 that triggered a devastating tsunami and triple reactor meltdowns at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima.