Risk of ‘mega-earthquake’ in Japan causes thousands of hotel cancellations

Hibapress

The warning of a “mega-earthquake” in Japan has prompted thousands of cancellations of hotel reservations in areas deemed high risk, penalizing one of the most important periods for the tourism sector, industry professionals said.

The warning was issued last Thursday by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake injured 15 people in the south of the country.

The JMA warning concerns the Nankai Trench “subduction zone” off the southern coast of Japan, located between two tectonic plates in the Pacific Ocean, where powerful earthquakes, of magnitude eight or nine, have occurred in the past, every century or two.

“The probability of another strong earthquake is higher than normal, but this does not indicate that an earthquake will occur with certainty,” the agency said.

Since the warning, in western Kochi – one of the areas likely to be worst hit – around 9,400 hotel bookings have been cancelled, a local hotel association said.

The “mega-quake” warning coincides with an annual holiday, when many Japanese return to their families and pay tribute to their ancestors.

According to local media, if no abnormal seismic activity is detected, the warning will be lifted next Thursday.