Today (August 9), Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio canceled his trip to Central Asia after scientists warned the country should prepare for the risk of a ‘super earthquake’.

Thủ tướng Nhật Bản hủy công du nước ngoài vì nguy cơ 'siêu động đất'- Ảnh 1.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a mega-earthquake warning after seven people were injured in the south by a 7.1-magnitude quake that struck the island of Kyushu on August 8.

Kishida was scheduled to travel to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia on August 9 and attend a regional summit.

“As prime minister with the highest responsibility for managing the crisis response, I have decided not to leave Japan for at least a week,” the leader told reporters, AFP reported.

Kishida added that the public should be extremely worried after the JMA issued its first warning based on a new system built after the 9.0-magnitude quake that triggered a tsunami and nuclear disaster in 2011.

“The risk of a major earthquake is higher than usual, but that does not mean an earthquake is certain,” the JMA said.

Tokyo authorities have previously warned of a 70 percent chance of a mega-earthquake occurring within the next 30 years.

The predicted quake could have widespread impacts on Japan’s Pacific coast and could threaten 300,000 lives in the worst case, experts say.

If a major earthquake were to strike, it could originate from the Nankai Trench off the east coast of Japan. In the past, the Nankai Trench has been responsible for major earthquakes, often in pairs and measuring up to magnitude 8 or even 9.

These include an earthquake in 1707, when Mount Fuji last erupted, in 1854, and then two double earthquakes in 1944 and 1946.