70% chance of Tokyo quake

A major earthquake is far more likely to hit Tokyo in the next few years than the government predicts, researchers at the University of Tokyo said, warning companies and individuals to be prepared for such an event.

There is a 70% chance a magnitude 7 quake will jolt the southern part of the Tokyo metropolitan area in the next four years, the university’s Earthquake Research Institute said.

In contrast, the government estimates a 70% probability of such an event in the next three decades.