TOKYO: (Bernama-Kyodo) Japan's weather agency said on Saturday (Aug 10) that no unusual geological strains or movements have been observed in western Japan amid the megaquake alert.
Kyodo news agency reported that the findings were based on data from three monitoring points in Kochi and Ehime prefectures, areas projected to be affected by a potential megaquake in the Nankai Trough, which runs along the Pacific coast, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
On Thursday, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the country’s southwest, prompting the agency to issue its first-ever advisory on the increased risks of a potential megaquake in the Nankai Trough.
As of 2 pm Saturday, 16 quakes measuring 1 or higher on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 have occurred, all with epicentres near waters off Miyazaki, the agency said.
The Nankai Trough is an ocean-floor trench that runs along the Pacific coast where the Eurasian and Philippine Sea tectonic plates meet.
Even though most epicentres are offshore and many inland tremors may be too weak to be felt by humans, seismometers show that activity remains high, according to an agency official.
The agency is urging the public to remain on alert for about a week, as the likelihood of a larger quake striking within this period has been increased to "about one in several hundred."
Meanwhile, hotels and ryokan (Japanese-style inns) in coastal areas of central and western Japan have experienced hundreds of cancellations following the weather agency's advisory, Kyodo news agency reported.
Sansuien, a ryokan in Kochi Prefecture, western Japan, reported that bookings for around 450 guests were cancelled on Friday, a day after the Japan Meteorological Agency issued its advisory.
Most cancellations were due to travellers’ fears, according to Kazuhiro Kamata, an official at the inn. 'While I understand their concerns, it is a tough situation for us,' Kamata said."
In Shimoda, a city in Shizuoka Prefecture at the tip of the Izu Peninsula, reservations for over 550 people have been cancelled. The area is estimated to be at risk from a tsunami up to 33 metres high in the event of a Nankai Trough megaquake.
Toshihito Okumura, an official with a local ryokan cooperative association based around the famous Dogo hot spring area in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, expects at least 1,000 cancellations over the week through next Thursday.
"The fallout is expected to continue for a while,” Okumura said. - Bernama-Kyodo
