Don,

What do you think about that plate boundary area from about 30N to 40N? This quake (upgraded to 7M) was on the east side, about 144E, but what do you think about the area west of it, say, going down to 30N 141E? Do you think it is ripe for a long 1000km+ rupture like Sumatra?

The news around Wakayama/Osaka is that the subducting plate is shallower than previously thought and therefore Osaka will be subject to more ground motion than estimated before.

But what about this recent series (over the last 3-4 months) of Tokyo/Kanto quakes? Not a good sign at all, it seems (if you look at which quakes were simultaneous, or near-simultaneous).