Japan issues special advisory on Nankai Trough megaquake: urgent preparations advised
The Nankai Trough, a significant underwater trench stretching approximately 700 kilometers from Suruga Bay in Shizuoka Prefecture to the Hyuganada Sea in Miyazaki Prefecture, is a known seismic hotspot due to the subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate beneath a landward plate. This subduction process, occurring at a rate of 3 to 5 centimeters annually, results in the accumulation of tectonic strain, which typically releases in massive earthquakes roughly every 100 to 150 years.