website hit counter
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Thursday, April 3, 2025

HomeInternational NewsJapan estimates mega-earthquake could cause $1.8 trillion in damage, kill 300,000.

Japan estimates mega-earthquake could cause $1.8 trillion in damage, kill 300,000.

Japan estimates mega-earthquake could cause $1.8 trillion in damage, kill 300,000.

spot_img

A long-anticipated mega-earthquake off the Pacific coast could cost Japan’s economy about $1.81 trillion, triggering devastating tsunamis, collapsing hundreds of buildings and killing as many as 300,000 people, a government report said on Monday.

The Cabinet Office report showed that the expected economic damage of 270.3 trillion yen, or about half of the country’s total gross domestic product (GDP), has risen sharply from a previous estimate of 214.2 trillion yen, as the new estimate expands the expected flood areas due to inflationary pressures and updated land and terrain data.

Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, and the government sees an 80% chance of a magnitude 8 to 9 earthquake along a seismically active seafloor region known as the Nankai Trench.

Based on a possible magnitude 9 earthquake in the area, under the worst-case scenario, Japan could evacuate 1.23 million people, or 1% of its total population. The report said that if the earthquake were to strike at night in winter, up to 298,000 people could die from tsunamis and building collapses.

The trench is located off Japan’s southwestern Pacific coast and runs for approximately 900 kilometers (600 miles) along the Philippine Sea Plate, where it is subducted under the Eurasian Plate. The cumulative seismicity could cause a megaquake roughly once every 100 to 150 years.

Last year, Japan issued its first mega-earthquake advisory, saying there was a “relatively high chance” of a magnitude 9 earthquake at the edge of the trench, after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the trench.

A magnitude 9 earthquake in 2011 triggered a devastating tsunami and a meltdown of three reactors at a nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan, killing more than 15,000 people.

Latest articles

U.S. Bans Government Personnel in China from Sexual Relationships with Chinese Citizens

The U.S. government has banned American government personnel in China—including family members and contractors...

S.M. Ranjith and Shanthi Chandrasena Appeal Corruption Conviction

Former North Central Province Chief Minister S.M. Ranjith and his Private Secretary, Shanthi Chandrasena,...

President Appoints High-Level Committee to Assess Impact of US Tariffs

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed a high-level committee to analyze the potential economic...

Three Arrested Over Rs. 27 Million Fraud at Ayurvedic Drugs Corporation

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested a man and two women in connection...

More like this

U.S. Bans Government Personnel in China from Sexual Relationships with Chinese Citizens

The U.S. government has banned American government personnel in China—including family members and contractors...

Trump announces expansion of global trade tariffs – including 44% on Sri Lanka

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a broad series of reciprocal tariffs that...

Volcano erupts in Iceland , triggering evacuation of tourists

A volcano erupted south of Iceland's capital on Tuesday (April 1), spewing lava and...