Japan is confronting a nightmare scenario with scientists warning of a “megaquake” in the Nankai Trough that could obliterate entire communities and claim the lives of up to 300,000 people. The government warns that if protective measures are not accelerated, the consequences will be horrific. According to the Daily Mail, scientists are raising the probability of a deadly earthquake off the country’s coast to over 80% within the next three decades.
Read: Hiroshima Mayor: “Trump should visit the bombed area first and then make statements about nuclear weapons”
Moreover, according to new estimates, such an earthquake and the subsequent tsunami could cause damage exceeding two trillion dollars and leave behind scenes of total devastation.
Millions of lives hang by a thread
Since 2014, there has been a plan to reduce casualties by 80%, but the reality is disappointing: current measures are sufficient only to reduce deaths by 20%. The new plan, published on Tuesday, sounds an alarm: seawalls, evacuation buildings, and frequent preparedness drills are urgently needed to prevent the collapse of Japan’s entire coastal zone. “Everyone must work together to save lives, otherwise the price will be unthinkable,” emphasized Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
🚨🇯🇵Japan has upgraded its disaster plan, warning of a likely Nankai Trough megaquake within 30 years, with over 80% probability. Estimated toll: nearly 300,000 lives and $1.8 trillion in damage. The last quake struck in 1946. Authorities emphasize preparedness over panic,… pic.twitter.com/TcnaaUcGza
— Info Room (@InfoR00M) July 2, 2025
Monster earthquake that strikes every century
The Nankai Trough is considered one of the most dangerous on the planet: every 100 to 200 years, a “monster” earthquake sweeps through the region. The last one was in 1946. Today, with the information overflow on social media, rumors are running wild. A popular manga, republished in 2021, “prophesies” biblical catastrophe on July 5, 2025, fueling the terror.
It’s no coincidence that foreign tourists are avoiding Japan: flights are being cancelled, arrivals from Hong Kong collapsed by 11% within one month. Meanwhile, some tourists speak of an “invisible threat” hanging over the islands.
The ghost of Fukushima haunts the country
The massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake in 2011 left indelible marks on the country: a 48-meter-high tsunami, 15,500 deaths, nuclear reactor meltdowns in Fukushima, and toxic waste that contaminated entire regions. Yet experts warn that the next “megaquake” could surpass even that nightmare.
“No one can say when it will happen,” says Ryoichi Nomura of the JMA. “But we must prepare—and not panic needlessly. If we don’t, the price will be incalculable.”
