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Period of Japan mega-quake advisory ends, but caution still needed

Aug 16 (NHK) - The Japan Meteorological Agency has announced the end of its advisory period for a mega-quake possibly striking along the Pacific coast, effective from 5 p.m. on Thursday. But officials are calling on people not to lower their guard.

The agency issued the advisory one week ago after a magnitude 7.1 quake struck off Miyazaki Prefecture in southern Japan, saying the risk of a mega-quake hitting somewhere along the Nankai Trough is higher than normal.

The tremor occurred in the vicinity of the Nankai Trough where a mega-quake is predicted and prompted an advisory covering much of the country's Pacific coast.

The officials had said that the advisory does not mean that a quake will definitely strike within a certain timeframe. But they had asked more than 700 municipalities in 29 prefectures to check their preparedness for a possible disaster.

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