Up to around 6,100 people would die in the event of a major earthquake hitting the heart of Tokyo, the metropolitan government said in a report on Wednesday, revising down the estimate by around 30% from a decade ago.
The report by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's panel of earthquake experts attributes the reduction of about 3,500 people to advances in the quake resistance of buildings and the greater use of noncombustible materials in their construction.
The panel simulated significant earthquakes with different epicenters for the latest damage projection, and concluded that a death toll of 6,148 at most would result if a quake with a magnitude of 7.3 originated in the southern part of central Tokyo.