Editorial: Preparation to protect lives needed as Japan issues megaquake bulletin

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has issued its first ever bulletin of a possible megaquake since implementation of this system in 2019. It judged that the likelihood of a massive Nankai Trough earthquake occurring has “increased compared to normal times.” We hope to reconfirm our disaster preparedness and mitigation efforts.

The bulletin was issued because an earthquake registering a lower 6 on the 7-point Japanese seismic intensity scale in southern Miyazaki Prefecture occurred on the afternoon of Aug. 8 in the region where officials say a major Nankai Trough earthquake could be focused. Tsunamis were observed across Japan and injuries were reported.

The Nankai Trough’s hypocentral region extends roughly 500 kilometers from western Japan’s Kyushu region to central Japan’s Tokai region, and megaquakes have occurred there around once every 100 to 150 years. When one major earthquake occurs in the area, other major quakes have been seen in succession.

An emergency meeting of a JMA panel of experts was convened and called for people to be on their guard against a possible megaquake over the next week. Officials urged residents in 707 cities, towns and villages across 29 prefectures designated as priority areas for disaster prevention to review their preparedness while continuing their daily lives.

What is required is action to protect lives.

It is important for households to prepare stocks of food, water, medicines and other necessities they can easily bring out even when they go to bed at night. Furniture should also be secured so that it doesn’t tip over, and it’s also essential for families to decide in advance how they will contact each other.

The bulletin coincides with the summer Obon holiday break. Many people are on the move as they return to their hometowns and go sightseeing, and Japan has also seen a surge in foreign visitors to the country. Local governments need to thoroughly inform the public so information on the locations of higher ground, evacuation centers and evacuation routes reaches them.

Detailed consideration must be given to the disabled and elderly people living alone, who are vulnerable in disasters. Authorities should quickly conduct inspections to ensure that these individuals can evacuate smoothly.

Following the Noto Peninsula earthquake that struck Ishikawa Prefecture on New Year’s Day this year, fake rescue requests were made via social media, disrupting the activities of police and firefighters. The government and businesses should step up monitoring to ensure that false information does not spread.

Multiple nuclear power plants are located in the vicinity of the Nankai Trough’s hypocentral region. Power companies have a responsibility to take every possible safety measure, learning lessons from the disaster at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station triggered by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.

Earthquakes cannot be predicted with certainty. Each person in Japan must be aware that they live in an earthquake-prone country and strive to improve their disaster preparedness.