Nikhil 12/9/2025
A few days ago, a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the northern region of Japan, which injured dozens of people and damaged many buildings and roads. Japan’s government quickly responded with an advisory for a megaquake, which warns the nation that a much stronger earthquake, offshore, could occur in the near future. Even though the chance of an 8.0 earthquake or stronger is extremely unlikely, this precaution is meant to warn people that things can take a quick, drastic turn at any given moment. The disaster in 2011, which started off with a smaller earthquake than the one that just occurred, is still in people’s minds as many people fear the day a tsunami of that scale may happen again.
This most recent quake struck Aomori, near the region where the major tectonic plates join and in the same area where Japan experienced some of their most destructive earthquakes ever. Several families described the shaking as something they never felt before, lasting long enough to force people out buildings. The places around Sanriku coast and Hokkaido immediately saw higher risks, as these are the same exact zones that are tied to the Japan Trench and the Chishima Trench. According to CBS News, these underwater trenches have the capabilities to create massive earthquakes, which are strong enough to trigger colossal tsunamis.
The government’s estimate shows how serious and impactful a worst-case scenario could result in. A megaquake in this region could trigger extremely large tsunami waves up to 98 feet high, destroying over 200,000 buildings and killing several hundreds of thousands. Additionally, winter conditions as of now could make these effects ever worse as it could create more risk for hypothermia. This precaution affects over 150 municipalities, which stretch from Hokkaido to China. Japan also created a separate advisory for a completely different fault zone, the Nankai Trough, which could possibly produce an even bigger disaster, one big enough to become one of the most dangerous seismic threats ever.
However, even with these big numbers, there are officials who are urging citizens to stay calm but prepared. They asked residents of the areas with elevated risk to prepare emergency bags, secure heavy furniture, and sleep in clothes they can run and evacuate in. At the moment, the local governments are checking their supplies, testing communication systems, and making sure everyone knows evacuation plans with the people in their area. As CBS News mentioned, this isn’t a prediction of any sort, but an important reminder that Japan can’t do anything to stop earthquakes from happening, but they can prepare for them which can save tens of thousands of lives if the next big one strikes.