Since the 7.3-magnitude earthquake occurred in early April, dozens of aftershocks occurred in Hualien County, Taiwan from the late night of April 22 to the early morning of the 23rd.
Among them, there were 7 earthquakes of magnitude 5 or more, 2 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or above, and the highest magnitude was 6.3. According to the Taiwan Meteorological Administration, more than 1,000 aftershocks have occurred since the 3rd of this month.
According to information released by the Japan Meteorological Agency, the earthquake may cause some sea level changes in the Yaeyama area of Okinawa Main Island and Miyakojima, but the tsunami height is expected to be less than 20 centimeters, so there is no need to worry about causing damage.
Since the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in January this year, there have been constant tremors throughout Japan, including an earthquake of magnitude 5 or higher in the Tokyo area in March and a magnitude 6.6 earthquake in the Bungo Suido in Ehime Prefecture in April.
△ The area affected by the Great Noto Peninsula earthquake
However, for the Japanese government, the danger of a major earthquake directly under the capital has been hanging over Tokyo, and it is necessary to step up preparedness and vigilance. Recently, a joint meeting was held in one prefecture and five cities designated by government ordinance in the Tokyo metropolitan area to request the government to strengthen disaster prevention measures.
Due to the large-scale fires and widespread water outages caused by the earthquake on the Noto Peninsula, nine prefectures and cities have demanded that the national government increase subsidies for the cost of renovating wooden houses, and strengthen financial support for the renewal of water supply facilities and earthquake resistance.
Based on the eight major earthquakes that have occurred in the Kanto region in the past, the Japanese Earthquake Research Council has released a forecast of a magnitude 7 earthquake in the Tokyo metropolitan area "70% of the next 30 years".
The Cabinet's 2019 scenario scenario would see 23,000 deaths and as many as 610,000 buildings destroyed. If measures are taken to make buildings earthquake-resistant and prevent fires, the number of deaths can be reduced to 2,300 in 10.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government recently announced the results of the ninth survey of the "Measurement of Earthquake-Related Area Risk", which ranked the areas with the highest earthquake risk in Tokyo by measuring the topography, construction volume, earthquake and fire resistance of buildings, and evacuation and rescue routes in 5,192 towns in Tokyo.
In the picture, the redder the area, the higher the overall risk. Kazuki Nakabayashi, chairman of the Investigation Department and professor emeritus at Tokyo Metropolitan University, said that the danger is highest in urban areas with dense wooden buildings.
There are 85 towns and chomees with the highest risk level of "Level 5", with the top two overall risk levels being Arakawa Ward, four of the top 10 being Adachi Ward, three being Sumida Ward, and one being Koto Ward.
Relatively speaking, many areas on the west and south sides of Tokyo's 23 wards have a low overall risk level, especially in Setagaya and Shibuya, which generally have a low risk level of 1 or 2, and they will have a higher level of security.
Professor Nakabayashi said that when people settle down in Tokyo, they can use the regional danger map as a reference and try to avoid dangerous areas.
For those who already live in high-risk areas, the government and local governments will provide support subsidies for non-combustible and earthquake-resistant renovations to their homes as soon as possible.
Have you ever experienced an earthquake in Japan?