Japan lifts weeklong alert on increased quake risk after M7.5 temblor

    TOKYO, Dec. 16 Kyodo - An advisory regarding the increased risk of another strong earthquake was lifted at midnight Monday, following a magnitude 7.5 temblor that rattled northern and northeastern Japan a week ago.

    While residents are no longer asked to remain on alert to evacuate at a moment's notice, the government continues to urge them to take disaster-preparedness measures, including stockpiling emergency supplies.

    The Japan Meteorological Agency for the first time issued a special alert covering 182 municipalities in seven prefectures from Hokkaido to Chiba, east of Tokyo, due to an increased risk of another strong quake.

    While no megaquake struck the country during the week, 40 quakes registering 1 or above on Japan's seven-point seismic intensity scale occurred by 2 p.m. Monday, according to the agency.

    The M7.5 quake struck late at night on Dec. 8 off the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture at a depth of 54 kilometers, prompting the agency to issue tsunami warnings for parts of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate prefectures.

    As of Monday, a total of 46 people were reported injured in the disaster, according to the government, with a Kyodo News tally showing that over 9,000 people had evacuated.

    On Dec. 9, the day after the quake, bullet train services were temporarily suspended on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line between Morioka and Shin-Aomori stations, while more than 300 schools faced one-day closures.

    The alert system, called an "Off the Coast of Hokkaido and Sanriku Subsequent Earthquake Advisory," began operating in December 2022 based on lessons learned from the M9.0 megaquake that devastated northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, followed by an M7.3 temblor. The advisory did not require precautionary evacuation.

    It was the first major disaster response by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government, which was launched in October.

    An opposition lawmaker has pointed out that following the issuance of the advisory, "residents of the area did not know how they should prepare" during such situations.

    Takaichi, who currently lives in housing for lower house members in Tokyo's Akasaka district, plans to move soon into the residence adjacent to the prime minister's office to better handle crises.

==Kyodo