Japan likely facing strongest quake in coming years

It is highly likely that Japan will be rattled by a powerful earthquake with a magnitude between 7 and 8 within next 30 years, a Japanese government panel warned in its newly revised seismic activity report.

The maximum probability of a magnitude 7 or 8 earthquake occurring along the Japan Trench off eastern Japan in the coming 30 years is more than 90 percent, Japan's Earthquake Research Committee said on Tuesday while presenting its new assessment of the trench area.

"The possibility of a quake with a magnitude of up to around 8 along the trench remains high," said Naoshi Hirata, a professor at the University of Tokyo's Earthquake Research Institute and chairman of the committee. "We want the public to keep in mind that strong quakes and tsunami will hit regions facing the trench again."