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August 12, 2026
 

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NANKAI TROUGH

A damaged road caused by the earthquake in Nishiaraya, Ishikawa Prefecture, in January 2024
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2026
Several dozen local bodies vie for disaster management agency¡¯s regional bases
Some local governments said they hope hosting the agency¡¯s regional offices would help correct the overconcentration of functions in Tokyo and revitalize regional economies.
The Upper House on Monday passed a bill to establish a new disaster management agency and legislation aimed at curbing the online spread of election-related misinformation and defamation.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 13, 2026
Upper House passes bill to set up disaster management agency
Bills aimed at curbing the spread of election-related misinformation and defamation on social media and the internet were also passed on Monday.
A new disaster management agency, to be placed directly under the Cabinet, will draw up basic disaster management policy and coordinate responses to large-scale calamities.
JAPAN / Politics
May 19, 2026
Japan Lower House passes bill to create disaster management agency
The bill is expected to be enacted during the current parliamentary session, with the government aiming to set up the agency this autumn.
Once set up, Â鶹´«Ã½ disaster management agency is expected to consider responses to potential major earthquakes in the Nankai Trough in the Pacific Ocean off central to southwestern Japan, and the Japan and Kuril trenches off the Pacific coasts of northern to eastern Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 26, 2025
Japan fine-tunes plans for disaster management agency
The government has adopted an outline of the envisaged agency, including its organizational structure and operations, ahead of its planned 2026 launch.
Lawson is looking to upgrade 100 stores nationwide to turn them into key community hubs in the event of a disaster.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 17, 2025
Lawson looks to create network of ¡®disaster relief convenience stores¡¯
It hopes to upgrade 100 stores nationwide so that they are able to serve as key community hubs in the event of a calamity.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at the Prime Minister's Office on Sept. 1 during an anti-disaster drill simulating an earthquake in the Nankai Trough.
JAPAN
Sep 28, 2025
Japanese team detects gradual seafloor caving near Nankai Trough
Long-term observations at multiple sites could aid in assessing the risk of major earthquakes and tsunamis.
A newspaper headline in Japanese about a possible Nankai Trough earthquake. In a report issued Friday, the government's Earthquake Research Committee widened the probability range for a magnitude 8 to 9 earthquake occurring off the country's Pacific coast within the next 30 years from "around 80%" to 60% to 94.5% or higher.
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2025
Japan revises 30-year probability rate of Nankai Trough megaquake
A government panel has said that it now thinks a huge earthquake will occur along the Nankai Trough with a probability of 60% to 94.5% or higher within the next 30 years.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a disaster drill at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday.
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2025
Government holds disaster drill for Nankai Trough megaquake
In the drill, an emergency disaster response headquarters headed by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was established.
Evacuated people rest at a green house converted into an evacuation center in the aftermath of an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 2, 2024.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2025
Japan corrects number of potential megaquake evacuees
The overall number was updated to about 516,000, from an initial estimate of more than 520,000, after figures for Oita Prefecture were corrected.
Evacuees at a shelter in Saitama Prefecture after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. With a tsunami expected to reach some areas within minutes after a Nankai Trough megaquake, the government is asking municipalities to designate areas where advance evacuation is necessary.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2025
Megaquake alert would urge 520,000 people to evacuate
The figure exceeds the total number of evacuees after the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent Fukushima nuclear plant disaster, which came to about 470,000.
A notice board at a station in Tokyo announces suspended shinkansen services due to a tsunami warning after a strong quake off Russia¡¯s Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday.?
EDITORIALS
Aug 1, 2025
A troubling reminder of Â鶹´«Ã½ vulnerability to natural disasters
There is considerable work to be done. Multiple studies and surveys of municipalities show that they are not prepared for a big incident.
A "no swimming" sign and flag are displayed on the beach at Shonan Bellmare Hiratsuka Beach Park in the city of Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Aug. 10 last year, following the issuance of emergency information on the increased risk of a huge Nankai Trough earthquake.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2025
Japan holds first meeting on Nankai quake information guidelines review
Japan issued its first Nankai Trough emergency information in August last year following a major quake off Miyazaki Prefecture.
The Central Disaster Prevention Council adopted a revised disaster-prevention plan that will encourage municipalities and logistics business associations to ensure there will be an emergency transportation system should a Nankai Trough earthquake occur, at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2025
Japan adopts target of reducing death toll by 80% in Nankai Trough quake
According to the latest estimate disclosed in March, the death toll from a Nankai Trough megaquake is expected to reach up to about 298,000.
Satoshi Fujii, head of a subcommittee at the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 2025
Nankai Trough quake predicted to cause ?1.47 quadrillion in damage
The Japan Society of Civil Engineers said that the damage would be spread over the course of 22 years.
The new basic plan for promoting disaster prevention measures is expected to call for intensive efforts to develop evacuation shelters and stockpile emergency supplies to prevent earthquake-related deaths from indirect causes.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2025
Japan plans to target 80% reduction of likely megaquake death toll in 10 years
The target will be included in a new basic plan for promoting disaster prevention measures, which is expected to be adopted in early July.
A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / Longform
Apr 28, 2025
If the ¡®Big One¡¯ hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami
Last year the government issued its first ¡°megaquake¡± advisory. Ever since, those living in the areas it¡¯s expected to hit have been preparing for the worst.
Toyota is considering transferring some production in the key Tokai region, which is expected to be hit hard in a Nankai Trough earthquake, to the Tohoku and Kyushu regions.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Apr 8, 2025
Japanese makers rush to mitigate possible Nankai Trough earthquake damage
The government is calling on manufacturers to diversify their production bases and suppliers to mitigate the risks.
Power utilities, telecommunications carriers and other infrastructure companies are working on measures to minimize damage and strengthen cooperation beyond company boundaries to ensure early recovery in the event of a huge Nankai Trough earthquake.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 2, 2025
Japan infrastructure sector draws up contingencies for Nankai quake
Power utilities, telecommunications carriers and other companies are working on measures to reduce damage and strengthen cooperation to ensure rapid recovery.
Residents participate in an evacuation drill held with West Japan Railway in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, in January 2024 to prepare for a Nankai Trough earthquake and a possible tsunami following the quake.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2025
Nankai Trough earthquake could kill 298,000 people, government says
A tsunami of over 20 meters would likely be observed in a total of 23 municipalities in Tokyo and seven other prefectures.
Shikoku Electric Power's Ikata nuclear plant in Ehime Prefecture. The Matsuyama District Court has rejected a petition filed by some 1,500 residents near the nuclear plant in the town of Ikata over safety concerns.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2025
District court rejects residents¡¯ petition to halt Ikata nuclear power plant
The petition was filed over safety concerns by some 1,500 residents living near the plant in Ehime Prefecture, which is operated by Shikoku Electric Power.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Strong wind and heavy rain forecast as tropical storm approaches Japan
Tropical Storm Chan-hom is expected to make landfall in northern Kanto between late Tuesday and early Wednesday.
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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