A major earthquake off the eastern part of the Kii Peninsula in western Japan would destroy 176,000 homes, according to a damage estimate compiled by an insurance group.
The Nonlife Insurance Rating Organization of Japan also estimated that a large quake under the sea off Shikoku would trigger tsunami up to 6 meters high.
The rating entity, consisting of 45 casualty insurers, made estimates for three large quakes that seismologists say could occur in the near future, one in the Nankai region between Shikoku and the Kii Peninsula, one in the Tonankai region east of the Kii Peninsula, and another around the Tokai region centering on Nagoya.