Japan is set to lift a week-old warning that a “megaquake” potentially causing catastrophic damage and loss of life could strike the country.
The alert had prompted thousands of Japanese to cancel holidays and stock up on essentials, emptying store shelves.
Japan’s disaster management minister, Yoshifumi Matsumura, said the “special call for attention” would be lifted at 5:00 pm local time, assuming there was no major seismic activity.
However, he cautioned that the “possibility of a major earthquake has not been eliminated,” urging people to regularly check their preparedness.
Last Thursday, Japan’s weather agency had said the likelihood of a megaquake was “higher than normal” after a magnitude 7.1 quake earlier that day injured 15 people.
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The advisory concerned the Nankai Trough, an 800-kilometer undersea gully running parallel to Japan’s Pacific coast, which has historically produced powerful earthquakes and tsunamis.
Despite the lifted warning, experts say the risk of a major earthquake in the region remains significant, with a roughly 70% probability of a magnitude 8-9 quake striking along the Nankai Trough within the next 30 years.
In the worst-case scenario, such an event could claim up to 300,000 lives and cause $13 trillion in damage.
