Pools of volunteer firefighters are in short supply these days, notably in communities devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster that claimed the lives of more than 200 such individuals. The high toll highlighted the hazardous nature of the work.
In a repeat from previous infection waves, hospitals are again facing difficulties admitting emergency patients because more beds have been set aside for COVID-19 patients.
A strong offshore earthquake struck Oita and Miyazaki prefectures in southern Japan early Jan. 22, causing minor injuries among startled residents but no major damage other than burst water mains.
Tsunami experts theorize that shock waves produced after a massive underwater volcanic eruption near Tonga on Jan. 15 caused the higher tidal levels seen along Japan s Pacific coastline.
Estimates prepared for the Cabinet project that if a massive magnitude-9 earthquake struck off the Pacific coast from Hokkaido to Tohoku, it would generate a tsunami and kill up to 199,000 people under the worst-case scenario.