History of Earthquakes in Japan
The consistent occurrence of earthquakes in Japan has made the country a geographical nightmare for natural disasters. One-tenth of the world’s earthquakes occur in and around Japan. On average, the country experiences an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 each year. Regular earthquakes in Japan date back to ancient times, as Sugawara no Michizane, a government official, recorded 23 destructive earthquakes out of 623 earthquakes felt in Japan between 416 AD to 887 AD.
The country today is well prepared for natural disasters. Even so, Japan still faces monumental casualties and property damage due to unexpected earthquakes. As recently as February 13 of this year, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 occurred off the coast of Tohoku, just weeks before the 10th anniversary of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami — thankfully, no deaths occurred.
Here’s a rundown of some of the major earthquakes to strike Japan.
The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923
On September 1 at approximately 11:58 am rumbling began to emerge which escalated into a magnitude of 7.9. Tokyo and Yokohama metropolitan areas suffered devastating damage, killing over 100,000 people.
Over half brick-work built buildings and one-tenth of concrete structured buildings completely collapsed within the region…
