Japan Faces $1.81 Trillion Loss In Megaquake Scenario

A government report released on Monday warned that Japan’s economy could suffer a loss of up to $1.81 trillion in the event of a long-expected megaquake off its Pacific coast. Such a quake could trigger massive tsunamis, cause the collapse of hundreds of buildings, and potentially result in the loss of around 300,000 lives.

The expected economic damage of 270.3 trillion yen, or nearly half of the country’s total gross domestic product (GDP), was up sharply from the previous estimate of 214.2 trillion yen as the new estimate accounted for inflationary pressures and updated terrain and ground data which have expanded anticipated flood areas, the Cabinet Office report showed.

Earthquake-Prone Country

Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, and the government sees about an 80% chance of a magnitude 8 to 9 earthquake along a tremulous seabed zone known as the Nankai Trough.

Under the worst-case scenario, based on a potential magnitude 9 earthquake in the area, the Asian nation is likely to see around 1.23 million evacuees or 10% of its total population of 123.7 million people. As many as 298,000 people could die from tsunamis and building collapses if the quake occurs late at night in winter, the report showed.

Subducting Plate

The trough is off Japan’s southwest Pacific coast and runs for approximately 900 km (600 miles), where the Philippine Sea Plate is subducting under the Eurasian Plate. The accumulating tectonic strains could result in a megaquake roughly once in 100 to 150 years.

Last year, Japan issued its first-ever megaquake advisory that there was a “relatively higher chance” of a quake as powerful as magnitude 9 in the trough, after a magnitude-7.1 quake occurred at the edge of the trough.

A magnitude 9 quake in 2011 that triggered a devastating tsunami and the triple reactor meltdowns at a nuclear power plant in northeast Japan, killed more than 15,000 people.

($1 = 149.0500 yen)

(With inputs from Reuters)