Japan’s Kishida cancels Asia trip after scientists urge preparations for a possible ‘megaquake’

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has canceled a planned trip to Central Asia to lead the government’s response after scientists urged people to prepare for a possible “megaquake” off the country’s southern coast TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida canceled a planned trip to Central Asia on Friday to lead the government’s response after scientists urged people to prepare for a possible “megaquake” off the country’s southern coast. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued its first ever “megaquake advisory” on Thursday warning of a possible future major earthquake triggered by the underwater Nankai Trough, after a magnitude 7.1 quake shook just off the eastern coast of Kyushu island earlier in the day. The trough, which runs along Japan’s Pacific coast, was the source of past devastating earthquakes. Thursday’s quake injured 16 people, most of them slightly, and caused no major damage. “I have decided to stay in the country at least for about a week to make sure that government measures and communication are fully in place,” Kishida said. The meteorological agency’s first “megaquake advisory” sparked public unease and prompted local government offices, rail operators and other agencies to begin introducing precautionary measures, affecting holiday travelers during the summer “Obon” holiday week. Still, towns such as Higashi Osaka called on residents not to engage in “unnecessary and non-urgent” travel in case of a major quake. Aoshima, another popular beach resort in Miyazaki prefecture, which was hardest hit by Thursday’s quake, also was closed. In a 2013 report, a government disaster prevention team said that if a magnitude 9.1 quake struck near the southern coast, it could generate a tsunami exceeding 10 meters (33 feet) with a death toll of more than 300,000 and economic damage of more than 220 trillion yen ($1.5 trillion) in a worst case scenario. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/japans-kishida-cancels-asia-trip-after-scientists-urge-112710033