After Quake, Japan Meteorological Agency Urges Public to Increase Readiness for Potential Follow-Up

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:39 JST, December 9, 2025

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued its first special advisory regarding a possible larger follow-up earthquake at 2 a.m. Tuesday, soon after a magnitude 7.5 quake struck off the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture.

The JMA requested that residents take precautionary measures over the seven days through Monday.

The system for issuing the Off the Coast of Hokkaido and Sanriku Subsequent Earthquake Advisory was launched in December 2022. It aims to mitigate damage caused by massive earthquakes that occur along the Japan and Chishima trenches.

The target area encompasses 182 municipalities across seven prefectures from Hokkaido to Chiba, where a seismic intensity of lower 6 or higher on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, or a tsunami height of three meters or more would be expected.

The agency urges residents to reconfirm routine disaster preparations, such as checking evacuation routes. It requires them to take special precautions such as ensuring readiness “to evacuate immediately” for the next week.

According to the Cabinet Office, the probability of a massive earthquake occurring while the advisory is in effect is about 1%, based on global statistics on earthquake occurrence.

“We ask that [the public adopt] a more cautious and composed stance,” said Director Tsukasa Morikubo of the Cabinet Office.

According to the agency, a seismic intensity of upper 6 or greater was observed in Japan for the first time since the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in January 2024.

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