TOKYO - A Japanese government panel said on Jan 16 it has slightly raised its estimated probability of a “mega quake” to up to 82 per cent in the next 30 years.
Such a jolt could potentially have a devastating 8 to 9 magnitude, trigger colossal tsunamis, kill several hundred thousand people and cause billions of dollars in damage, experts say.
The Earthquake Research Committee said it has increased its estimate of the probability to between 75 and 82 per cent, from between 74 and 81 per cent previously.
The last recorded one happened in 1946.
“It’s been 79 years since the last quake, and the possibility of another quake occurring is rising every year at a pace of about 1 per cent,” an official of the Earthquake Research Committee’s secretariat told AFP.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/japan-panel-says-mega-quake-probability-up-to-82
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/3758/