60% of Japan towns in megaquake zone lack critical supplies

TOKYO — Roughly 60% of Japanese localities in the area where the next megaquake is expected to hit lack one or more critical supplies that would serve the needs of evacuees, according to a Nikkei study.

Up to 12.3 million people are expected to be displaced if a massive earthquake rocks the Nankai Trough zone, according to a government report released in March. Scientists see a roughly 80% chance of such a disaster striking Japan over the next 30 years.