At approximately 9:19 p.m. local time on Sunday, a magnitude 6.6 quake struck off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), it had an intensity of lower 5 on the Japanese scale of 0 to 7. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 36 kilometers in the Hyuganada Sea. A tsunami advisory was immediately issued for the coasts of Miyazaki and Kochi prefectures. Waves of about 20 centimeters were observed in the former and 10 centimeters in the latter. At just before midnight, the advisory was called off.
No Significant Damage From Miyazaki Quake
No significant damage has been reported and Kyushu Electric Power confirmed there was no sign of irregularities at Sendai Nuclear Power Plant or Genkai Nuclear Power Plant. Shikoku Electric Power said the same about its Ikata Nuclear Power Plant. Various train services were halted and in Kochi, some residents were advised to evacuate as a precautionary measure. NHK TV reported that one man suffered from slight injuries after falling down the stairs. Authorities warned that aftershocks may still occur, so residents should stay in a safe place.
Special Precaution Unnecessary, Say Nankai Trough Experts
On Monday night, JMA experts met to discuss possible links between the tremor that hit Miyazaki and a megaquake that is expected to strike the Nankai Trough. They concluded that special precautionary measures were not needed. A Nankai Trough earthquake is predicted to occur somewhere along the plate boundary between Suruga Bay off Shizuoka Prefecture and the Hyuganada Sea off Miyazaki Prefecture. According to the government’s Earthquake Research Committee, there is somewhere between a 70% and 80% chance that a magnitude 8 to 9 quake will strike there within the next three decades. In a worst-case scenario, it could claim more than 230,000 lives.
