Earthquakes in Japan
M4.50 53 km S of Kushiro, Japan
23 hours ago · Depth 65.9 km
Recent Japan Earthquakes (Past 24 Hours)
- M4.1081 km NE of Esashi, Japan
- M4.4054 km E of Miyako, Japan
- M4.5053 km S of Kushiro, Japan
Source: USGS
Japan is one of the world’s most closely monitored earthquake regions. Earthquakes occur beneath the Japanese islands and along the surrounding ocean trenches, where the Pacific and Philippine Sea plates descend beneath Japan.
This page displays the latest available Japan earthquakes of magnitude 1.5 and above. The earthquake list, interactive map and statistics refresh when the page loads or is refreshed. For a wider view, visit the Asia earthquakes page or see the latest earthquakes worldwide.
Each coloured circle marks an earthquake location. Select a marker to see its magnitude, location, UTC time and depth. Use the map buttons to switch between earthquakes recorded during the last hour, 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days.
Japan earthquakes (map loads with JavaScript)
Note: Regional boundaries are approximate. Earthquakes close to Taiwan, the Kuril Islands, Kamchatka or the Mariana Islands may appear on the corresponding regional page depending on their reported location.
📊 Japan Earthquake Statistics
53 km S of Kushiro, Japan
3 km WSW of Shibayama, Japan
74 km S of Yonakuni, Japan
2025 Aomori Prefecture, Japan Earthquake
Magnitude 1.5+ • Data from USGS
About Earthquakes in Japan
Earthquakes occur frequently throughout Japan, from Hokkaido in the north to the Ryukyu Islands and Okinawa in the south. Many are small and detected only by instruments. Others produce noticeable shaking, while the largest offshore earthquakes can generate destructive tsunamis.
Japan’s earthquake hazard isn’t confined to its Pacific coast. Earthquakes also occur beneath cities, along inland active faults and beside the Sea of Japan. The 1995 Kobe earthquake, the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes and the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake all demonstrated the danger posed by shallow crustal faults away from the main ocean trenches.
The country’s dense monitoring networks detect many earthquakes that would go unrecorded in less closely instrumented regions. A large number of reported earthquakes therefore reflects both Japan’s active geology and its exceptionally sensitive observation system.
Why Does Japan Have So Many Earthquakes?
Japan lies along a complex set of convergent plate boundaries. East of Hokkaido and Honshu, the Pacific Plate descends beneath Japan along the Chishima, or Kuril, Trench and the Japan Trench. Farther south, the Philippine Sea Plate descends along the Sagami, Nankai and Ryukyu troughs.
These subduction zones produce several kinds of earthquakes. Large megathrust earthquakes occur on the boundary between descending and overriding plates. Other earthquakes happen inside the subducting plates, sometimes at considerable depth. Stress transmitted into the Japanese islands also causes shallow earthquakes on inland faults.
Japan is often described as the meeting place of four tectonic plates, but the real structure is more complicated than four plates joining at a single point. Plate boundaries, smaller crustal blocks and overlapping subducted slabs vary beneath different parts of the country. Research datasets maintained by the Geological Survey of Japan allow scientists to compare active faults, plate depths, earthquake locations and underground structures.
Japan’s Main Earthquake Zones
- Hokkaido and the Chishima Trench: The Pacific Plate descends beneath northern Japan. Large offshore earthquakes can cause strong shaking and tsunamis around eastern Hokkaido and the southern Kuril Islands.
- Tohoku and the Japan Trench: The offshore boundary east of northern Honshu produced the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Earthquakes also occur within the descending Pacific Plate beneath the region.
- Kanto and the Sagami Trough: Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures occupy a complicated area where shallow crustal faults and two descending oceanic plates contribute to earthquake hazard.
- Central Japan: Active structures include the Itoigawa–Shizuoka Tectonic Line, the Median Tectonic Line and numerous shorter faults. Mountainous terrain can increase the danger from earthquake-triggered rockfalls and landslides.
- Nankai Trough: The Philippine Sea Plate descends beneath southwest Japan from the Tokai region past the Kii Peninsula, Shikoku and eastern Kyushu. This boundary has produced repeated large megathrust earthquakes.
- Kyushu: Earthquakes occur along active inland faults and around the island’s volcanic regions. The Futagawa and Hinagu fault zones are important sources of shallow crustal earthquakes around Kumamoto.
- Ryukyu Islands and Okinawa: Earthquakes occur along the Ryukyu Trench and within the Okinawa Trough. Offshore earthquakes in this region can be difficult to assign exclusively to Japan or a neighbouring region.
- Izu, Ogasawara and Volcano Islands: This long volcanic island chain extends south from central Japan. Earthquakes range from shallow events around the islands to very deep earthquakes within the descending Pacific Plate.
Magnitude and Japan’s Shindo Intensity Scale
Magnitude and seismic intensity describe different parts of an earthquake. Magnitude measures the overall size of the earthquake at its source. Japan’s seismic intensity scale, commonly called shindo, describes the strength of shaking measured at a particular location.
The Japan Meteorological Agency scale runs from 0 to 7, with separate lower and upper levels for intensities 5 and 6. One earthquake has a single reported magnitude but produces different intensity readings across the affected area. Distance, depth, local soil, topography and building response all influence the shaking experienced at each location.
This means a shallow, moderate earthquake close to a town can produce severe local shaking, while a larger but distant or deep earthquake may cause weaker movement at the surface. See the JMA seismic intensity tables for the expected effects at each intensity level.Landmark Earthquakes in Japan’s History
Japan’s earthquake history includes offshore megathrust ruptures, tsunami earthquakes that produced surprisingly weak initial shaking and destructive earthquakes on shallow faults beneath populated areas. The events below stand out because of their scale, consequences or influence on earthquake monitoring and disaster preparation. Magnitudes assigned to earthquakes before modern instruments are estimates, and figures for older disasters can vary between historical sources.
1707 Hōei earthquake: This enormous historical earthquake ruptured a wide area along the Nankai Trough and generated a destructive tsunami across southern Japan. Its reconstructed magnitude varies between studies because it occurred long before instrumental measurement. It was followed 49 days later by the Hōei eruption of Mount Fuji, a sequence discussed by the Geological Survey of Japan.
2026 Kumamoto earthquake: On July 28, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto region of Kyushu at a provisional depth of 16 kilometres. JMA recorded the maximum seismic intensity of 7 in Uki and Hikawa and identified strike-slip faulting. The earthquake caused destructive shaking and was followed by an active sequence that included a magnitude 6.1 event. JMA maintains an official 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake portal.
2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake: The magnitude 7.6 New Year’s Day earthquake produced seismic intensity 7 in Ishikawa Prefecture. Strong shaking, surface fault movement, landslides, liquefaction, fires and a tsunami caused extensive damage around the peninsula. The seismic activity extended across an area approximately 150 kilometres long, as detailed in the Earthquake Research Committee’s Noto evaluation.
2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake: This magnitude 6.7 inland earthquake produced the first recorded seismic intensity 7 in Hokkaido. Large landslides buried homes and roads in the mountainous area around Atsuma, while damage to power infrastructure caused a prefecture-wide blackout. The event is included in Reuters’ review of Japan’s major modern earthquakes.
2016 Kumamoto earthquakes: A magnitude 6.5 earthquake on April 14 was followed by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake early on April 16. Both produced the maximum JMA intensity of 7, making this an unusual and highly destructive sequence on the Futagawa and Hinagu fault zones. The JMA Kumamoto earthquake summary records the strongest earthquakes in the sequence.
2011 Great East Japan Earthquake: The magnitude 9.0 earthquake ruptured the plate boundary beneath the Japan Trench east of Tohoku. It was the largest earthquake recorded in Japan and generated a devastating tsunami that reached communities along hundreds of kilometers of coastline and triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. The Reconstruction Agency documents the disaster and the long recovery that followed.
1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake: A shallow magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck before dawn on January 17 and caused catastrophic damage across Kobe and neighbouring communities. Collapsed buildings, fires and failures involving roads, railways and elevated expressways exposed the vulnerability of a modern urban area to an inland fault. The earthquake’s experiences and lessons are preserved by Hyogo Prefecture’s Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution.
1944 Tonankai and 1946 Nankai earthquakes: These magnitude 7.9 and 8.0 earthquakes ruptured neighbouring sections of the Nankai Trough two years apart. Both generated destructive tsunamis and demonstrated that different parts of the plate boundary can rupture separately rather than in one event. The Geological Survey of Japan explains their importance to modern Nankai Trough monitoring.
1923 Great Kanto earthquake: The estimated magnitude 7.9 earthquake devastated Tokyo, Yokohama and surrounding areas. Building collapse, landslides and widespread fires caused more than 100,000 deaths, making it one of the most consequential disasters in modern Japanese history. Contemporary records and reconstruction material are presented in the National Diet Library’s Great Kanto Earthquake exhibition.
1896 Meiji Sanriku earthquake and tsunami: Although the earthquake produced relatively weak shaking on land, the resulting tsunami devastated the Sanriku coast and caused more than 20,000 deaths. It became a defining example of a tsunami earthquake, where the size of the tsunami is far greater than the felt shaking might suggest. The event is described by Japan’s Earthquake Research Committee.
The Nankai Trough Earthquake Hazard
The Nankai Trough is one of Japan’s most closely watched earthquake sources. Magnitude 8 or larger megathrust earthquakes have repeatedly occurred along different sections of the boundary, although their intervals, rupture areas and sizes have varied.
JMA continuously monitors earthquakes and crustal deformation around the trough. It can issue special Nankai Trough information when an unusual event or change is detected. Such information indicates that the possibility of another major earthquake may be relatively elevated; it doesn’t predict an exact time, location or magnitude.
A Nankai Trough earthquake could also occur without unusual activity being detected beforehand. JMA therefore stresses the importance of routine preparation rather than waiting for a special advisory. Read the agency’s explanation of Nankai Trough monitoring and earthquake information.
Can Earthquakes in Japan Cause Tsunamis?
Yes. Japan’s long coastline is exposed to locally generated tsunamis from the Japan, Chishima, Sagami, Nankai and Ryukyu subduction zones. Distant earthquakes elsewhere around the Pacific can also send tsunamis towards Japan.
Not every offshore earthquake produces a tsunami. Significant vertical movement of the seabed or another large displacement of water is normally required. Earthquake depth, fault type, rupture size and seafloor movement are more important than location alone.
JMA evaluates earthquakes immediately and issues regional tsunami warnings or advisories when hazardous waves are expected. If you’re close to the coast and experience strong or prolonged shaking, move to higher ground or a designated tsunami evacuation area immediately. Don’t wait for this website or return to the coast until authorities say it is safe.
How Japan Monitors Earthquakes
The Japan Meteorological Agency combines information from its own instruments with observations supplied by local governments and research organisations. It publishes earthquake locations, magnitudes, depths, seismic intensities and tsunami information.
The National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience operates several complementary networks. Hi-net uses sensitive borehole instruments at approximately 800 locations to detect earthquakes too weak to be felt. F-net records a broad range of seismic motion, while K-NET and KiK-net measure the strong shaking produced by potentially damaging earthquakes.
K-NET and KiK-net include more than 1,700 strong-motion stations. KiK-net stations pair surface instruments with seismographs installed at the bottom of boreholes, helping researchers compare motion underground with shaking at the surface.
Initial earthquake measurements may be revised when analysts receive additional observations. Different agencies can also publish slightly different magnitudes or depths because they use different station networks, magnitude scales and processing methods.
Japan’s Earthquake Early Warning System
Japan’s Earthquake Early Warning system detects the first seismic waves and estimates where stronger shaking is likely to arrive. Alerts can give people time to protect themselves and allow trains, elevators, factories and other systems to take automatic safety measures.
Early warning isn’t earthquake prediction. The earthquake has already started when the alert is generated, and the available warning may last only a few seconds or tens of seconds. Locations close to the earthquake source may experience strong shaking before an alert arrives. JMA explains these constraints on its Earthquake Early Warning limitations page.
What to Do During an Earthquake in Japan
When shaking begins, drop down, protect your head and neck, and take cover beneath a sturdy table or desk if one is nearby. Hold on until the movement stops. Stay away from glass, shelves, unsecured furniture, and objects that could fall.
Don’t rush outside while strong shaking is underway. If you’re already outdoors, move away from buildings, walls, signs and power lines. In mountainous areas, remain alert for rockfalls and landslides.
Near the coast, strong or prolonged shaking can be a natural tsunami warning. Move inland or to higher ground and follow JMA and local authority instructions. Visitors can check the Japan National Tourism Organization’s earthquake safety page for English-language guidance and links to current official information.
After an earthquake, expect possible aftershocks and avoid visibly damaged buildings, unstable slopes and fallen electrical lines. Read our earthquake safety guide and earthquake preparedness checklist for additional guidance.
🗺️ Related Earthquake Maps
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