Anonymousabout 4 hours ago
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Japan's Iwate Prefecture on April 20, 2026, triggering tsunami warnings across the northern Pacific coast and prompting evacuation orders for nearly 172,000 people. While measured wave heights remained well below feared levels and no casualties were reported, the event prompted Japan to issue a rare special advisory warning of a slightly elevated probability of a follow-on megaquake along the Chishima Trough — reigniting debate over the adequacy of the country's ¥1.3 trillion seawall investment and the persistent insurance gap that leaves most earthquake losses uninsured.