The Meteorological Agency plans to review the way it estimates the intensity and magnitude of earthquakes following criticism that its evaluations do not correspond to the actual damage caused, according to an agency official.
Some seismologists say the agency overestimated when it said a quake that hit western Tottori Prefecture on Oct. 6 measured an upper 6 on its intensity scale to 7 and a provisional 7.3 on the Richter scale.
Some institutes said the intensity reading was too high and that the figure for magnitude was double what it ought to have been.