A large earthquake in the Tokai region of central Japan could claim up to 10,000 lives and cause economic losses of 37 trillion yen, according to a government disaster prevention panel.
The predicted death toll would result from a quake of magnitude 8 occurring early on a winter's morning, the Central Disaster Management Council said in a report. The toll would exceed the more than 6,000 lives lost due to the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which devastated the Kobe area in January 1995.
A Tokai quake centered on central or western Shizuoka Prefecture or Suruga Bay would force the evacuation of some 2 million people and disrupt the water, electricity and other infrastructure of 5 million others, the panel said.