At 9:19 p.m. on Monday, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake тАФ measuring a lower 5 on JapanтАЩs seismic intensity scale тАФ struck southern Japan, with the epicenter in the Hyuganada Sea off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture.
Immediately after, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said it would begin a temporary investigation into the possibility of issuing an emergency advisory alert regarding a potential Nankai Trough earthquake, holding an evaluation meeting among experts to assess the situation.
When a quake struck a similar area in southern Japan in August of last year, an advisory regarding a possible megaquake along the Nankai Trough was issued for the first time in history, with the notice in place for around a week.
