Japan is one the most semiological active zones in the world as it sits a top three active tectonic plates: The Eurasian, Pacific and Philippines. Which naturally makes it prone to frequent earthquakes and not just the ones that you can't feel either. But those in which actual movement is perceptive to the people in the affected area.
With that in mind having a discussion about earthquakes on Japanese TV makes sense as it will help give the public a better understanding of how earthquakes occur and what measures can be taken to protect life and property. It all falls down however when one ventures into the area of prediction. For all the time scientists have studied earthquakes no credible methodology has ever been devised allowing for the accurate prediction of when an earthquake will occur.
Japanese actor Beat Takeshi hosts a discussion program entitled Beat Takeshi's TV Tackle. On his most recent broadcast the topic was earthquakes and the panel was made up of scientists from that field of study.
What the writer fails to tell you until the middle of the next paragraph is that the actual prediction made by Dr. Kimura had a margin of error of +/- 5 years. My cat could have done that.
This program just provided a forum for two people to scare the crap out of people who know that Japan is prone to earthquakes and don't have need for their paranoia about the whole ratcheted up to 11.
With that in mind having a discussion about earthquakes on Japanese TV makes sense as it will help give the public a better understanding of how earthquakes occur and what measures can be taken to protect life and property. It all falls down however when one ventures into the area of prediction. For all the time scientists have studied earthquakes no credible methodology has ever been devised allowing for the accurate prediction of when an earthquake will occur.
Japanese actor Beat Takeshi hosts a discussion program entitled Beat Takeshi's TV Tackle. On his most recent broadcast the topic was earthquakes and the panel was made up of scientists from that field of study.
Dr Kimura, an Emeritus Professor of submarine geology and a seismologist at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa Prefecture, was eager to share his thoughts regarding the matter. His predictions are based on observations of regions in Japan where there have not yet been any major earthquakes, but where smaller ones occur frequently; he calls such regions “earthquake eyes” (地震の目). He predicted the location of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake using the same theory four years before it occurred, and although he presented his findings before the Pacific Science Congress in Japan, no one endorsed his ideas at the time.
What the writer fails to tell you until the middle of the next paragraph is that the actual prediction made by Dr. Kimura had a margin of error of +/- 5 years. My cat could have done that.
The program also invited Kushida, a self-taught astronomer, to the show to share his opinions. Kushida has gained a sort of infamy in Japan due to his frequent predictions of an impending major earthquake, which he posits by studying seismic waves. Based on past events, we’ve got reason not to take Kushida too seriously, but you never know.
Kushida has been predicting a major earthquake in Japan’s Kansai region (to the south – Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, etc); more specifically, near Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture. He says that abnormal FM rays have been evident since 2008, and the quake could hit on November 11 of this year, plus or minus a few days, at the earliest. In addition, it should be around a 7.8 on the magnitude scale.
This program just provided a forum for two people to scare the crap out of people who know that Japan is prone to earthquakes and don't have need for their paranoia about the whole ratcheted up to 11.
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