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A powerful earthquake that has a high chance of occurring beneath Tokyo and nearby areas within the next few decades could kill up to 18,000 people, according to the damage estimates released by the government on Friday.
The latest figure, made under the scenario of a magnitude-7.3 quake centered in the southern part of central Tokyo, is about 20 percent lower than the previous estimate in 2013, due to improvements in seismic-prepared buildings and fire prevention measures, the government panel said.
The economic damage amount was projected at 82.6 trillion yen (about 530 billion U.S. dollars) in the worst-case scenario, lowered from the previous calculation of 95 trillion yen.
The government sees a roughly 70 percent chance of a magnitude-7 class earthquake occurring in Tokyo and its vicinity within the next 30 years.
The worst-case scenario involves the temblor striking on a winter evening with winds of 28.8 km per hour. Fatalities are expected across Tokyo and four nearby prefectures, with 8,000 deaths, or more than 40 percent of the total, projected in Tokyo alone.
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