According to the official measurement of the China Earthquake Networks Center, at 4:42 pm local time on the 8th, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in the sea area near Kyushu Island, Japan, with a focal depth of 30 km.
The Japan Meteorological Agency immediately issued a tsunami warning. Miyazaki Prefecture and Kochi Prefecture expected the waves to reach 1 meter. After the earthquake, in order to confirm safety, there were delays in the Tokaido Shinkansen and some sections of the Tokaido Shinkansen.
However, at 10 pm on the 8th, the local Shinkansen has resumed operation. At the same time, the tsunami warning issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency was also lifted.
This is the second earthquake of higher magnitude to occur in Japan after the 7.6-magnitude Noto Peninsula earthquake on January 1st this year.
On the 9th, the latest news from the Japan Meteorological Agency showed that at around 4:23 am that day, a 5.3-magnitude earthquake occurred in Hinata Beach, Miyazaki Prefecture, with a maximum intensity of 3 and a depth of 20 kilometers. There is no risk of a tsunami caused by this earthquake.
According to Japanese media reports, the earthquake has caused 12 injuries and multiple houses to collapse.
Re evaluation of the risk of massive earthquakes in the South China Sea Trough of Japan
It is worth noting that there are multiple nuclear power plants in the earthquake area. As of the time of publication by the First Financial News reporter, the Japan Atomic Energy Regulatory Commission stated that all 12 nuclear reactors on Kyushu and Shikoku islands are safe, and the monitoring values of radiation levels in the surrounding areas have not changed.
At present, the Japan Meteorological Agency has also issued a warning that areas with strong vibrations may be more prone to rockfalls and landslides, and urged the public to be alert to aftershocks in the coming week.
According to CCTV News citing the Japan Meteorological Agency on August 8th, after an earthquake occurred in the waters near Miyazaki Prefecture that day, relevant experts held a meeting to evaluate the possibility of a "huge earthquake in the South China Sea Trough" predicted to occur in the future, and believed that the probability of a major earthquake occurring in the expected epicenter area and surrounding areas of the "huge earthquake in the South China Sea Trough" was higher than usual.
It is reported that huge earthquakes originating from the Pacific coast west of the East Sea region of Japan have repeatedly occurred so far, with the last one occurring in the mid-1940s.
According to the assessment data released by the Japan Meteorological Agency in February this year, the probability of a major earthquake occurring in the South China Sea trough in the next 10 years is around 30%, the probability of occurrence in the next 30 years is between 70% and 80%, and the probability of occurrence in the next 50 years is 90% or even higher.
Semiconductor and tourism hub
After the earthquake, the Chinese Consulate General in Fukuoka also issued a message in the first time, reminding Chinese citizens in Miyazaki, Kagoshima and other areas to raise self-protection awareness and closely monitor the earthquake warning, tsunami warning and weather forecast issued by the Japanese government.
At present, it is the peak season for summer tourism, and many places under Kyushu Island, including Kumamoto Prefecture, Fukuoka Prefecture, Miyazaki Prefecture, etc., are popular destinations for Japanese tourists, including Chinese tourists.
According to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the number of visitors to Japan reached 17.78 million in the first half of the year, setting a record for the highest number of visitors in a six-month span. Unless unexpected, the number of tourists visiting Japan this year is expected to exceed the annual record of 31.9 million set before the 2019 pandemic.
Since the end of June, China and Japan have resumed multiple air routes. On July 16th, China Eastern Airlines officially resumed regular flights between Shanghai and Kagoshima, marking the first resumption of flights in 4 years and 5 months since the outbreak of the epidemic.
In addition to the tourism industry, Kyushu Island is also an important production base for Japan's semiconductor and related industries. The seven prefectures of Fukuoka, Oita, Miyazaki, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, and Kagoshima all contribute approximately 10% of Japan's total GDP, with semiconductor production accounting for about 50% of the country's total output.
According to incomplete statistics, there are over 200 semiconductor equipment manufacturers and equipment component manufacturers on Kyushu Island. Including the world's leading semiconductor equipment manufacturing company TEPCO Electronics, the world's first and second largest silicon wafer production companies Shinetsu Chemical Industry and Japan's Shenggao, Tokyo Applied Chemical Industry, which has the world's largest market share in semiconductor photoresist, Hitachi Chemical Industry, which has the world's second largest market share in semiconductor packaging materials, comprehensive semiconductor material production companies Asahi Kasei, Sumitomo Chemical, Showa Denko, and semiconductor ultrapure water equipment production company Toray.
According to data from the Kyushu Economic, Trade and Industry Bureau, from April 2021 to June 2024, there were a total of 100 semiconductor related investment projects in Kyushu Island, with 52 projects in Kumamoto Prefecture. TSMC's factories 1 and 2 in Kumamoto Prefecture account for over 60% of the total investment. In addition, Miyazaki Prefecture has also attracted many semiconductor manufacturers in recent years. Kyoto based semiconductor manufacturer ROHM plans to build a new factory in Miyazaki Prefecture and invest 289.2 billion yen in its leading SiC wafer production.
The above data also shows that in 2023, the semiconductor production value of Kyushu, Japan will increase by 24.0% annually to 1153.3 billion yen, showing growth for the third consecutive year. The annual output will break through the 1 trillion yen mark for the first time in nearly 16 years (since 2007), reaching 1034.5 billion yen.
In recent years, the semiconductor industry has become a new target for the Japanese government's efforts. The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry previously requested a record high budget of 2.46 trillion yen for the fiscal year starting from April 2024, an increase of 45.7% from the previous year. Among them, 123 billion yen will be used for chip related plans, and most of the funds will be used to strengthen the supply chain and promote the development of the country's semiconductor industry.
The "Semiconductor and Digital Industry Strategy" revised by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in June this year proposed the latest goal, which is to increase the domestic semiconductor related industry sales in Japan to 15 trillion yen by 2030, more than doubling from 2020.