Does Japan's megaquake alert mean the 'big one' is coming?

[Judi Lynn]

1 day ago

Shaimaa Khalil
BBC News, Tokyo

Flora Drury
BBC News, London

On the face of it, the earthquake that struck southern Japan on Thursday was not a big deal. The magnitude 7.1 quake did little damage and the tsunami warning was quickly scaled back. But the earthquake was swiftly followed by a warning - one which had never been given before.

There was, Japan's meteorological agency said, an increased risk of a "major earthquake". Japan's prime minister has cancelled a planned trip to a summit in Central Asia to be in the country for the next week.

For many in Japan, thoughts turned to the "big one" - a once-in-a-century quake that many had grown up being warned about.

Worst-case scenarios predict more than 300,000 dead, with a wall of water potentially 30m (100ft) striking along the East Asian nation's Pacific coast. Which sounds terrifying. And yet, the overwhelming feeling that Masayo Oshio was left with was confusion.

More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2en927054o

[Lovie777]

1. Hopefully one day, earthquake prone areas can get a indicator that...................

alerts and give those places ample notice. Here in Southern California, it's just seconds warning alerting on the cell phone.