Japan lifted on Monday a special advisory warning of an increased risk of major earthquakes after a powerful 7.7 magnitude tremor hit the country¡¯s north and prompted a tsunami alert.
The advisory was issued a few hours after the April 20 quake struck in Pacific waters off Iwate prefecture. It was also felt in Tokyo.
¡°As of 5:00 pm today, the period during which the government issued a special warning ... has ended,¡± Kota Iwamura, a Cabinet Office official in charge of disaster prevention, told reporters.
He cautioned, however, that ¡°this does not mean the possibility of a major quake has disappeared.¡±
¡°There is a possibility that a major earthquake could occur suddenly without any preceding tremors.¡±
Japan is one of the world¡¯s most seismically active countries, sitting on top of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific ¡°Ring of Fire.¡±
The archipelago typically experiences around 1,500 jolts every year and accounts for about 18% of the world¡¯s earthquakes.
The vast majority are mild, although the damage they cause varies according to their location and the depth below the Earth¡¯s surface at which they strike.
Last week¡¯s earthquake injured at least 10 people, including two serious injuries, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
Japan is haunted by the memory of a massive 9.0 magnitude undersea quake in 2011, which triggered a tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing, and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
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