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August 9, 2024
Nankai Trough earthquakes are massive quakes that have repeatedly occurred at an interval of approximately every 100 to 150 years with their epicentral areas located along the plate boundary between Suruga Bay in the central prefecture of Shizuoka and the Hyuganada Sea off the southern main island of Kyushu.
On August 8, an earthquake occurred with its epicenter located in the Hyuganada Sea, registering a maximum 6-minus on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture.
The Japanese Meteorological Agency subsequently issued its first-ever mega-earthquake advisory, “Nankai Trough Earthquake Extra Information,” on the assumption that the chance of a new Nankai Trough earthquake is relatively high compared to normal conditions.
Source: “Manga Explainer! Nankai Trough Quake: If the Day Comes...” (Cabinet Office, Fire and Disaster Management Agency, Meteorological Agency)
In metropolitan Tokyo, buildings are estimated to sway wildly and for a long time due to long-period seismic motions. At the same time, a tsunami is estimated to reach the Tokyo Island regions in a short period of time.
Maximum tsunami height (time until arrival)
Source: Edited and created based on Tokyo Metropolitan Government
“New Damage Predictions for Tokyo: Predicted Damage to Tokyo from an Earthquake Directly Hitting Tokyo” (May 2022)
High-rise buildings and condominiums would shake heavily for a long while, phenomena called “long-period seismic motions,” causing indoor furniture and appliances to fall over or move and elevators to malfunction.
If an earthquake occurs when you are in an elevator, push all the floor buttons and get off wherever it stops. If you are stuck inside, use the intercom for communication.
Tokyo citizens are advised to reconfirm their daily preparedness against potential disasters,including preventing indoor furniture from falling over and stockpiling daily necessities.
Understand the items and quantities that you need to stockpile by simply answering some simple questions such as your family composition. Start with what you can do for yourself and your loved ones.
Secure the furniture in your home to ensure safety in the event of an earthquake. Using fittings such as L-brackers provides greater safety. Pole devices (tension rods) can also be used in rental housing where the walls cannot be damaged, or on walls with a light-gauge steel substrate.
Do not use an elevator when moving from floor to floor during an evacuation, and instead use the emergency stairs. This is because even if the elevator is working, there is a possibility that it will stop suddenly due to the earthquake detection sensor functioning, a malfunction, or power outage, and you may become trapped. Confirm the location of the Emergency stairs in advance.
This is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s official disaster preparedness app, which is useful in daily life and in an emergency. The app features content that will be useful in the event of a disaster and allows users to have fun while gaining basic knowledge about disaster preparedness, based on the concepts of “play,” “learn,” and “use.”
Disaster Preparedness Tokyo app
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