Japan urges against “excessive” stockpiling in the face of the possibility of a “mega-earthquake”

Japanese authorities have urged people not to stockpile or make “excessive reserves” of consumer goods, despite warnings of a “mega-earthquake” following Thursday’s quake.

In a message on the social network X, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries advised to prepare “a three-day reserve [de preferencia una semana] per person,” but also called for “avoiding making excessive reserves” of essential consumer goods.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a “mega-quake warning” on Thursday following a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck the south of the country on Thursday, leaving 14 people injured.

“The probability of another strong earthquake occurring is higher than in normal times, but this does not mean that it will occur with absolute certainty,” the agency added.

At a Tokyo supermarket on Saturday, a banner apologised to customers for shortages of certain products, which it blamed on “media reports about the earthquake”.

The sign reported sales restrictions and stated that bottled water was rationed due to “instability” in supply.

On the website of Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten, the most sought-after items on Saturday were portable toilets, canned food and bottled water.

Situated on several tectonic plates along the Pacific Ring of Fire, Japan is one of the most seismically active countries in the world.

The archipelago, home to nearly 125 million people, experiences around 1,500 tremors a year, most of them minor.