Japanese Prime Minister Cancels Foreign Trip Following Mega Earthquake Warning

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has canceled his planned trip to Central Asia and Mongolia in the coming days following an unprecedented warning about the risk of a mega earthquake along the Pacific coast. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued its first warning regarding the risk of a super earthquake on Thursday, August 9. On the same day, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Kyushu in southwestern Japan. Kishida stated at a press conference on Friday, "I have decided to stay in the country for about a week to ensure that our level of preparedness and communications are correct." He added, "This is the first time such a warning has been issued, and I believe people are feeling concerned about it. Therefore, I decided to cancel my planned trip to Central Asia and Mongolia." Japan's state television reported that the government may hold online meetings with regional leaders. Kishida's trip to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia was scheduled to start on Friday and continue until Monday. The Japan Meteorological Agency has indicated that a major earthquake is likely to occur along the Pacific, where massive tsunamis have previously been generated. The agency has urged the Japanese people to be prepared to evacuate their homes if necessary. Japan estimates a 70 to 80 percent chance of an 8 or 9 magnitude earthquake occurring within the next 30 years, which is equivalent to a one in a thousand chance each week. With the new warning, this probability has increased to a one in several hundred chance. According to Japanese media reports, some supermarkets in the Shizuoka region have experienced shortages of goods as people have been purchasing large quantities of bottled water and ready-to-eat rice packages. While the current earthquake warning system has been in place since 2019, the government is seeking ways to prepare the public for potential earthquakes. There are two levels of earthquake warnings in Japan; a lower warning advises people to be ready for evacuation, while a higher warning advises those in dangerous areas to begin evacuating their homes. Just as Japan is about to enter the summer holiday season, some companies and local officials have also taken precautionary measures in response to this warning. Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. More than 15,000 people were killed in a 9 magnitude earthquake in 2011, which caused a devastating tsunami and the destruction of three reactors at a nuclear power plant.