The interpretation of the seismic low-velocity zone as a region of partially molten rock is extended to explain the transient displacements following the 1946 Nankaido earthquake. Three partial melt models are considered to account for the observed time constant of 3--5 years: large-scale diffusion of melt through a porous matrix can decay over thousands to billions of years and is much too slow. Simple shearing in 'penny-shaped' cracks happens on a seismic time scale and is much too rapid. Interconnected penny-shaped cracks at different orientations with respect to the principal stresses respond on an intermediate time scale by short-range melt squirt from one crack to another, providing a reasonable mechanism to account for the transient deformation at Nankaido, while components of shear parallel to each individual crack relax quickly according to the better-known mechanism for seismic attenuation in the low-velocity zone.