'Nankai Earthquake' Anxiety Spreads... Surge in Japan Travel Cancellations
Travel Industry "Monitoring Situation... Also Checking Demand for Other Tourist Destinations"
Following a series of earthquakes in Japan and the raised possibility of a major earthquake, fear is spreading as inquiries about canceling trips to Japan are flooding in.
The Japan Meteorological Agency announced a "Nankai Trough Earthquake Temporary Information (Great Earthquake Warning)" after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu, on the 8th. It stated that a major earthquake, which occurs at intervals of 100 to 150 years along the Nankai Trough extending from the western part of the Tokyo metropolitan area in Shizuoka Prefecture to the southern part of Shikoku and the eastern sea area of Kyushu, could occur within 30 years with a 70 to 80% probability.
Additionally, on the night of the 9th, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kanagawa Prefecture west of Tokyo, followed by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake on the 10th at a sea area 476 km north-northeast of Asahikawa City, Hokkaido, raising tension locally.
These developments have deepened the concerns of those planning to travel to Japan.
On domestic Japan travel-related communities and social networking services (SNS), posts debating whether to cancel trips are pouring in, with comments such as "I canceled even though the fees were expensive" and "It's too unsettling; it's better not to go."
The rebound in the value of the Japanese yen, weakening the special effect of the low yen, is also analyzed to be influencing the cancellation of trips to Japan. The won-yen exchange rate rose from the 850 won per 100 yen range between the 1st and 5th of last month to the 950 won range on the 5th and 6th of this month.
Exchange rates are one of the factors considered when planning trips. In the case of travel to Japan, travelers have so far enjoyed benefits from the low yen. According to statistics from the Korea Tourism Organization, among the 2.22 million Koreans who traveled abroad in June, 700,000 (31.5%) visited Japan, the highest number.
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