The government of Japan said on Thursday that people’s lives could now “go back to normal” after lifting a warning that a “megaquake” capable of causing enormous damage and fatalities could occur.
A warning that such a disaster would strike the 125 million-person island caused thousands of Japanese citizens to postpone holidays and stock up on necessities, clearing shelves in some supermarkets.
Disaster management minister Yoshifumi Matsumura said, “The special call for attention ended at 5:00 pm (0800 GMT) since there were no abnormalities detected in seismic activity and crustal deformation.”
“But it doesn’t mean the risk (of a major earthquake) has been eliminated,” Matsumura told reporters.
“We have been asking for special precautions, such as sleeping while being prepared to evacuate immediately. But we will no longer ask for these steps, and the people of Japan are free to go back to normal lifestyles.”
Last Thursday, Japan’s weather agency said the likelihood of a megaquake was “higher than normal” following a magnitude 7.1 jolt earlier in the day that injured 15 people.
That was a particular kind of tremor known as a subduction megathrust quake, which in the past has occurred in pairs and can unleash massive tsunamis.
The advisory concerned the Nankai Trough between two tectonic plates in the Pacific Ocean.
The 800-kilometre (500-mile) undersea gully runs parallel to Japan’s Pacific coast, including off the Tokyo region, the world’s biggest urban area and home to around 40 million people.
