A panel of experts assessing the situation said the probability of a major earthquake in the Nankai depression, which stretches along the Pacific coast, increased several times; and called on the public to be prepared for any eventuality.

The Japanese government has estimated that there is a 70 to 80 percent chance of magnitude 8 to 9 earthquake occurring along the Nankai in the medium term, with a death toll possibly reaching 323,000. The warning followed a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck southwestern Japan on Thursday.

jrr/jav/mem/nvo