Quake Advisory Lifted 1 Week after Major Temblor off Northeastern Japan

Tokyo, April 27 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Meteorological Agency and the Cabinet Office on Monday lifted a special advisory on a possible subsequent earthquake off the northern prefecture of Hokkaido or the Sanriku northeastern region following last week’s 7.7-magnitude quake off Sanriku. The advisory urged residents of a total of 182 cities, towns and villages in seven prefectures stretching from Hokkaido to Chiba, east of Tokyo, to be ready to evacuate immediately, following the April 20 quake, which measured up to upper 5, the fourth-highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale. While the advisory was removed at 5 p.m. Monday, residents are still asked to prepare for a possible megaquake. “The lifting of the advisory doesn’t mean that a major earthquake will no longer occur,” Kota Iwamura, a senior Cabinet Office official, said at a press conference. The April 20 quake occurred at the boundary between the Pacific and continental plates along the Japan Trench. Around the area, many earthquakes, including ones with magnitudes of around 6.0 to 7.0, have occurred since last November. A subsequent quake advisory was issued for the first time in the wake of a 7.5-magnitude tremor that struck off the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 8, registering up to upper 6 on the Japanese scale. Between the epicenters of the two recent earthquakes, a 7.6-magnitude quake occurred in 1994, and a similar strong quake has been feared to occur. Meanwhile, there is believed to be a 90 pct chance that an earthquake with a magnitude of around 8.0 will occur off the coast of Nemuro, Hokkaido, within 30 years. On Monday morning, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the southern part of the Tokachi region in Hokkaido, registering upper 5 in the Hokkaido town of Urahoro. The quake originated deep within the Pacific plate sliding under the continental plate. At a press conference, Ayataka Ebita of the JMA said that the agency does not believe Monday’s quake was directly linked to the April 20 temblor. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]