Japan lifts 'megaquake' warning after a week: Video
Japan has lifted its week-long 'megaquake' warning, which had caused widespread concern and disrupted daily life across the nation.
The warning, issued after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern island of Kyushu, had heightened fears of a potentially catastrophic earthquake along the Nankai Trough, a seismically active zone known for producing massive quakes.
The Japanese government, through its disaster management minister Yoshifumi Matsumura, announced that no abnormalities in seismic activity or crustal deformation had been detected, leading to the decision to end the special alert.
"We have been asking for special precautions, such as sleeping while being prepared to evacuate immediately. But we will no longer ask for these steps, and the people of Japan are free to go back to normal lifestyles," Matsumura stated.
The initial warning prompted many Japanese citizens to cancel holidays, and stock up on essentials, and even led to some high-speed rail services reducing their speeds as a precaution.
Despite the lifting of the warning, experts caution that the risk of a major earthquake has not been eliminated. The Nankai Trough, which runs parallel to Japan's Pacific coast, has a history of producing devastating earthquakes approximately every 90 to 200 years, with the last significant event occurring in 1946.
"But it doesn't mean the risk (of a major earthquake) has been eliminated," Matsumura told reporters.
