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High risk of powerful quake in northeastern Japan within 30 years: panel

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Is this really news? Is there any part of Japan that has no probability of a strong quake in the next 30 years?

20 ( +20 / -0 )

Japan sits at the junction of three tectonic plates, all of Japan is always at risk

14 ( +14 / -0 )

Fear mongering. They sound like my religious zealots mom, dad and uncles when they're talking the end of the world is near I need to repent.

Yes, earthquakes happen and is good to be prepared.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

The last time the 100 year quake hit Tokyo was 1923.

Another one is due anyday now.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Still wondering, and have been for the past 20, how many more years they will say "within 30 years"

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Any government panel's singular purpose is to maintain funding for next year. Should we be prepared and listen to scientists, of course. But this constant bleating about specific predictions is ludicrous.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

High risk of powerful quake in northeastern Japan within 30 years: panel

The powerful quake on March 11, 2011, rocked wide areas of eastern Japan and triggered massive tsunami as well as a nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

So maybe its time we switched to renewables to prevent a recurrence of 2011.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

So burning coal, oil and gas caused that earthquake? What science book does that theory come from?

So maybe its time we switched to renewables to prevent a recurrence of 2011.

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

What science book does that theory come from?

The science book that says building nuclear power plants on a very active part of the Ring of Fire is a monumentally stupid idea.

14 ( +15 / -1 )

the panel said there is a 50 percent chance of a quake of magnitude 7 to 7.5 occurring off Fukushima Prefecture,

So, that's a heads or tails chance. Gotta keep those options open.

A government panel said Tuesday there is a high chance of an earthquake with a magnitude of 7 to 8 occurring within the next 30 years along the Japan Trench lying in the Pacific Ocean off northeastern Japan.

A government panel? I reckon my 8 year old daughter could have come to the same conclusion. Your tax dollars at work people.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

this is hardly rocket science,

4 ( +4 / -0 )

If we keep saying this every few years, it’s bound to happen. Duh.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

A government panel said

Stopped reading here. They could have said any number of years. 5, 15, 50. One will come, many will come, we cant predict them, all we can do is be very prepared. Let's just hope the casualties are minimal.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=4652305&page=1

Scientists estimate a 67% chance of a 6.7 quake in the Southern Cal area within 18 years. Don't ask me how they come up with these numbers, but they sound reasonable to me.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

30 years? Talk about playing it safe.

Did they also predict a typhoon sometime in the next decade or so?

7 ( +8 / -1 )

How much did it cost tax payers for them to come up with these obvious and dubious statements? I have my own theory that is free; Japan gets earthquakes.

Its line going to a doctor in Japan. You pay stupid amounts of money for the doctor to state the blatantly obvious. “You have a cold!”

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Did they also predict a typhoon sometime in the next decade or so?

I remember some scientist also predicted that Mount Fuji will erupt in the next 30 years 20 years ago in the 90's.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

bobfor2Today  08:46 am JST

this is hardly rocket science,

Correct. It's seismology.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

So, back in the 1980s, everyone was talking about major megaquakes to hit Nagoya. So far, none of that has happened, but it did encourage the development of seismic upgrade technologies. Japan is light years ahead of the U.S. when it comes to quake-proofing and preparedness.

In 2015, Oregon Public Broadcasting produced a documentary "Unprepared" comparing Portland's earthquake preparedness with that of Tokyo (the Cascadia Subduction Zone megaquakes would look like a mirror image of the 2011 Fukushima quakes, according to geophysicists). The documentary cast a doomsday prediction. Fast-forward to 2019, people in Portland are actually having a debate over the proposed ban on unreinforced masonry building!

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Next time TEPCO won't be able to claim they hadn't been warned.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

They had been warned the last time but they still claimed surprise.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

So burning coal, oil and gas caused that earthquake? What science book does that theory come from?

Gobshite, I think cleo answered it perfectly:

The science book that says building nuclear power plants on a very active part of the Ring of Fire is a monumentally stupid idea.

Well said cleo!

5 ( +5 / -0 )

How can they predict another powerful earthquake when they couldn’t predict the quake that hit Hokkaido last year ? Earthquake prediction is a quasi science and the government should stop wasting money on it.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Oooh, I do love these bold predictions.

I want to schedule a trip to vegas with the panel. I wanna make a bet. The bet would be, at some point during the day, someone plays a hand of poker.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Exactly one week before the 3/11 earthquake, I'll never forget the American guy I met at a guest house once. This guy was in the kitchen with I and three girls. He sits down at the table with us and he says,'...I saw the craziest and most horrible dream last night.... I saw buildings crumbling and huge waves,...I think there is going to be an earthquake soon. The room went silent. Sure enough,.. that big one hit the following week. When all of the trains stopped and people had to walk for miles back to wherever, some of us met up again at that guest house. we were all surprised as to how the hell he predicted that! Too bad he didn't seem to know himself as it seemed to be something he wasn't regularly in tune with,.. as he could have warned others on a broader scale. He said it was God who warned him. I think animals could do that also maybe. unfortunately he had bad experiences in japan, not in relation to the earthquake,.. but they didn't treat him so well. too bad. he seemed like a good guy. guess he just didn't fit in there. And we all know what they do to the nail that stands out..

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

I wonder how many meetings this conclusion took and how many members in the committee? What would be useful is the propensity of nuclear disaster for each prefecture based on how many reactors each have plotted against strength of tsunami and earthquake

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Too bad he didn't seem to know himself as it seemed to be something he wasn't regularly in tune with,.. as he could have warned others on a broader scale. He said it was God who warned him. I think animals could do that also maybe

Hmmm. He couldn't have "warned" anyone. It was a dream, not precognition or divine intervention or animal instinct.

Best to trust the geological experts, those who know a bit about tectonics and whatnot. Being prepared but not living in a state of fear is the best course of action.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

For those posting here (who have ACTUALLY lived here for more than five minutes), will know we live in one one of the best prepared places that has earthquakes that can possibly be. The changes and lessons learnt since Kobe/Niigata/Tohoku have taught the country as a whole more every time. I am not denying that the Fukushima Okuma Dai-ichi disaster could have been prevented, This subject has been debated countless times here. But this country HAS learnt over the years.

Before mocking this panel like so many of you seem happy to do, please remember they they have been commissioned by the Government to report their 'findings' in the public domain.

We all know that its not 'if' its 'when' another large earthquake strikes again. I for one, would be preferred to be reminded of the imminent danger as often as possible. We all become complacent over time.

As for anybody accurately predicting a quake - not a chance. Has never happened, so please keep your silly comments for lesser websites.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Give these Genius' a large payrise. They certainly are underpaid for their unique skills

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

@the Resident = in some ways you are right however people in Japan are still advised during Earthquakes to hide under tables etc rather than in the triangular safer spaces beside tables walls, cars etc. I find that staggeringly dumb

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Don't worry about those ubiquitous earthquake predictions, NASA has identified a massive asteroid that's on its way here with a potential collision course in December 2019... Potential in that it may hit Tokyo or pass somewhere close by +/- a couple of Million Kilometers.... but it, is coming, that is certain, Earthquake prediction however, is like looking for Oar fish....

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I think the reason they keep harping on the possibility of earthquakes is because they want to keep the possibility of another "big one" in everyone's conscience. People in this country (including me), in my experience, tend to be quite complacent when it comes to these things. They wait and wait to make preparations because they don't have a sense of immediate danger. After the earthquake last year here in Osaka, suddenly everyone was buying up all the gas canisters, water etc in the city. It seemed like a great many people did not do anything to prepare after 3/11.

If you haven't made any earthquake preparations, do it now. You may never need them, but you will be kicking yourself if you don't prepare and you do need them.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"The science book that says building nuclear power plants on a very active part of the Ring of Fire is a monumentally stupid idea."

The truth that all anti nuke freaks ignore is that there are safer reactors such as "candu" heavy water type, but also that even the Dai-ichi and all antique Japan's reactors could be secured from security failures such as the last one. Water towers and above ground backup systems, just two of the many things that are missing. Safer reactors are more expensive but only in the short term. Japan can, if willing, do the things right.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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