Japan PM eyes canceling Asia trip after megaquake advisory

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering canceling his planned four-day trip to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia from Friday, a source familiar with the matter said, after the weather agency warned of a potential massive earthquake around the Nankai Trough, Kyodo reports.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued the first such advisory hours after a magnitude-7.1 quake hit the country's southwest on Thursday. It said the risk of a megaquake in a vast area of the Pacific stretching from southwestern to central Japan has increased.

It bears to remind that Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida was expected to pay an official visit to Kazakhstan on August 9-10 at the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.