Hi John. I’m well aware of that. I lived in Japan for 10 years and speak the language. I suspect the people who made the prediction for the Tokyo area also know where Hokkaido is at and in no way could anyone even begin to make a claim of any kind that the Hokkaido quake was predicted to occur when it did. The prediction was made for the Tokyo area, which never occurred and it sure as heck didn’t do the people living in Hokkaido any good.

The prediction made by the Japanese was made for the most part in the same manner that USGS has made a prediction for the San Francisco Bay Area, which is that there is 62% chance that a large quake will strike in the Bay Area between now and 2033.

Japanese scientists predicted big quake on island
USGS calls forecast 'bull's-eye' after 8.0 Hokkaido temblor

Keay Davidson, Chronicle Science Writer Friday, September 26, 2003

Just six months ago, Japanese scientists forecast the huge earthquake that hit Japan Thursday.

Using techniques broadly similar to those used by U.S. scientists to anticipate future quakes in the Bay Area, the Japanese scientists estimated a 60 percent probability of an 8.1 magnitude quake in the vicinity of Japan's Tokachi Plain on the island of Hokkaido over the next 30 years.

A quake measuring 8.0 magnitude hit Thursday within the boundaries of the designated region, a 100-by-150-mile area that the scientists called "Region B," just offshore from the Tokachi Plain.

• Hokkaido Quake