The risk of a strong earthquake hitting off the coast of Japan within 30 years has risen, according to a new report.
The report found that the chances of an earthquake measuring lower 6 or stronger on the Japanese seismic scale of 7 have risen by up to 2%, according to
The Japan Times.
The earthquake forecast is for the Nankai Trough which lies off the Pacific coast of Japan extending 700 kilometres from off Shizouka Prefecture to eastern Kyushu.
Naoshi Hirata, a professor of seismology at the University of Tokyo who chairs the headquarters' Earthquake Research Committee, told
asahi.com that the country should be on alert.
“Even if the probability is lower in the area where you live compared with other areas, that is no reason to feel relieved,” Hirata said.
No powerful earthquakes have hit the Pacific side of the country since 2014, the last time that such a study was release.
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