Japan Experts Advise Citizens to Enhance Quake Preparedness

   Tokyo, Aug. 9 (Jiji Press)--Experts say that citizens should enhance their preparedness for a possible huge earthquake after the Japan Meteorological Agency put out its first-ever alert over the risk of a Nankai Trough megaquake.
   The agency took the action Thursday evening after a 7.1-magnitude quake occurred off the southwestern prefecture of Miyazaki, in which the maximum seismic intensity reached lower 6 on the Japanese scale.
   After holding a meeting of an experts' panel, the agency issued emergency information that the possibility of a huge quake occurring in the Nankai Trough off the coast of central to southwestern Japan "has become relatively high compared with normal times."
   In areas that would be hit hard by the temblor and subsequent tsunami, citizens are advised to stay alert and prepared for such a disaster for about a week.
   The central government Thursday asked local governments in the designated Nankai Trough quake disaster reduction areas to be vigilant against a possible jolt in the coming week. The request was made to 707 municipalities of 29 prefectures in the areas, stretching from the Kanto eastern region including Tokyo down to the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.

(2024/08/09-12:51)

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