One week after issuing its first-ever megaquake advisory following the December 8 magnitude 7.5 earthquake off Aomori Prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency has lifted the alert for Hokkaido and Sanriku coastal areas. Officials emphasize that risks remain and urge ongoing vigilance, including checking evacuation routes and securing furniture.
The advisory, which covered 182 municipalities from Hokkaido to Chiba prefectures and warned of potential lower 6+ shaking and tsunamis over 3 meters along the Chishima and Japan Trenches, expired at the end of Monday.
In a Tuesday Cabinet Office briefing, the agency stressed that lifting the alert does not eliminate the possibility of a sudden major earthquake. It called for sustained preparedness measures, such as verifying evacuation sites and routes, and securing household furniture.
As detailed in prior coverage of the advisory's issuance, this system—introduced in 2022 post-2011 Great East Japan Earthquake—activates after significant quakes in high-risk zones to heighten public readiness amid temporarily elevated probabilities (from ~0.1% to 1% for magnitude 8+ events). Japan, prone to seismic activity, continues to refine such alerts despite forecasting challenges.
