Grapevine

By Al Jazeera
Aug 12, 2024

Japan PM scraps Central Asia trip after ‘megaquake’ warning

Fumio Kishida says he will remain in Japan after experts warn of a higher than usual risk along the Nankai Trough.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has dropped plans for a trip to Central Asia after weather experts warned that the risk of a Pacific coast “megaquake” had increased following an earthquake on the southwestern island of Kyushu.

The magnitude 7.1 quake struck Kyushu on Thursday injuring eight people and triggering a tsunami warning.

Kishida had been due to leave on Friday for Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia.

“As the prime minister with the highest responsibility for crisis management, I decided I should stay in Japan for at least a week,” he told reporters.