Government warns giant earthquake in Nankai Trough could kill 320,000
The Japanese government issued a warning on Wednesday that hundreds of thousands of lives could be lost should a large-scale earthquake occur offshore of Japan’s central and western regions. Explaining...
View ArticleDress Rehearsal: Mock drills conducted for disaster preparedness
Saturday was the 89th anniversary of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, but its significance got a new meaning in the light of last year’s disaster and ensuing events. Although the weather played a spoil...
View ArticleWorld’s first methane hydrate mining to begin off central Japan coast
The Japanese government has revealed that its Japan Oil, Gas, and Metals National Corp. has dispatched a mining ship that will begin the world’s first offshore test to excavate methane hydrate from the...
View ArticleJapan extracts gas from offshore methane hydrate, 1st in the world
On Tuesday, Japan became the first in the world to extract natural gas from a next-generation energy source called methane hydrate, also called “burnable ice”, in the seabed in Pacific waters off...
View ArticleNankai Trough quake predicted to cause more damage than 2011 disaster
A Japanese government panel is estimating that a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in the Nankai Trough region will do damage worth $2.2 billion, a figure that is much higher than the $177 million from the...
View ArticleNew study reveals probability, potential location of major quakes in Japan
One would be surprised how common earthquakes are – there might be one happening at this instant and you won’t feel a thing. This is because these quakes are so low on the magnitude scale that they are...
View ArticlePredicted Nankai Trough earthquake can kill as many as 1,800 in Tokyo Prefecture
The predicted big Nankai Trough earthquake could kill as many as 1,800 people in the Izu and Ogasawara island chains, mostly from the tsunami aftermath, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government....
View ArticleEarthquake panel says socially vulnerable should be priority in evacuation
A government panel convened to plan emergency measures in the wake of a Nankai Trough earthquake has recommended that evacuation centers should prioritize the socially vulnerable, like the homeless,...
View ArticleSDF hold drill in preparation for huge earthquake in Nankai Trough
Starting on Monday of this week, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (SDF) began a 5-day series of drills in preparation for a massive earthquake in the Nankai Trough, off the main island of Honshu’s central...
View ArticleResearchers say Mount Fuji may erupt if earthquake causes cracks
Researchers at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) say that Mount Fuji may erupt if a future massive earthquake will cause its insides to crack. The last time...
View ArticleExperts fear that 400,000 people may die if quake strikes Nankai Trough at night
According to Wikipedia, the Nankai Trough is the near-surface extension of a zone of active seismicity that dips beneath South
View ArticleGov’t plans to use mobile phones, SNS data to deal with natural disasters
If the feared Nankai Trough earthquake comes true in the next few years, the Japanese government will be relying on
View ArticleMore than a million Japanese participate in Disaster Prevention Day with...
More than a million Japan residents took part in a national disaster drill as the country tries to assess how prepared they are to deal with another massive catastrophe. The drill was held on September...
View ArticleJapanese seismologists set off for drilling mission at the Nankai Trough
A team of seismologists set off Friday to drill at the Nankai Trough in search for the origin of earthquake. The scientists are also aiming to find out what are the common crust movements just before...
View ArticleUnrecorded tsunami from 1,300 years ago uncovered by high school students
High school students from Shizuoka Prefecture’s Iwata-Minami High School found data on an unrecorded tsunami after studying geological formations near their school. The tsunami, which is estimated to...
View ArticleMemorial held 19 years after Great Kobe Earthquake, city calls for disaster...
Memorial services were held on Friday morning to commemorate the 19th year anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake. The earthquake, which occurred in 1995, hit the city of Kobe in western Japan and...
View ArticleNankai mega-quake could kill 6,700, 1.5 times more than previous estimate
As the Japanese government prepares for a another mega earthquake that could strike anytime, Nagoya projected around 6,700 people could be killed if a 9.0 magnitude strikes along the Nankai Trough hits...
View ArticleAlmost 75% of schools tagged as tsunami evacuation sites not safe
With a projected mega earthquake coming from the Nankai Trough, researchers have called for the review of schools found in Japan’s coastal areas and designated as tsunami evacuation sites. Ironically,...
View Article
