Gov't panel warns of possibility of "impending" M9 quake off Hokkaido

The Japanese government's earthquake research panel on Tuesday warned of a possibly "impending" magnitude-9 class quake in the Pacific off the eastern coast of Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's main islands, that would likely trigger a massive tsunami.A huge earthquake occurred about 400 years ago off the eastern side of Hokkaido, an area that saw large temblors in a cycle of every 340 to 380 years. The last megaquake caused a tsunami over 20 meters high and flooded about 4 kilometers inland from the coast, according to research by Hokkaido University.The chances are high that another l…READ FULL ARTICLE