List of earthquakes in Japan
This is a list of earthquakes in Japan with either a magnitude greater than or equal to 7.0 or which caused significant damage or casualties. As indicated below, magnitude is measured on the Richter magnitude scale or the moment magnitude scale, or the surface wave magnitude scale for very old earthquakes. The present list is not exhaustive, and reliable and precise magnitude data is scarce for earthquakes that occurred before the development of modern measuring instruments.
Geological background
The islands of Japan are primarily the result of several large oceanic movements occurring over hundreds of millions of years from the mid-Silurian to the Pleistocene as a result of the subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate beneath the continental Amurian Plate and Okinawa Plate to the south, and subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Okhotsk Plate to the north.Japan was originally attached to the eastern coast of the Eurasian continent. The subducting plates, being deeper than the Eurasian plate, pulled Japan eastward, opening the Sea of Japan around 15 million years ago. The Strait of Tartary and the Korea Strait opened much later. Today the Japanese archipelago is considered a mature island arc and is the result of several generations of subducting plates. Approximately 15,000 km of oceanic floor has passed under the Japanese area in the last 450 million years, with most being fully subducted.
Japan is situated in a volcanic zone on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Frequent low intensity earth tremors and occasional volcanic activity are felt throughout the islands. Destructive earthquakes, often resulting in tsunamis, occur several times a century. Most of the earthquakes following that occurred in Japan happened because of a destructive plate boundary. This is when continental and oceanic plates collide and the heavier, more dense oceanic plate ‘sinks’ underneath the continental one.
History
Although there is mention of an earthquake in Yamato in what is now Nara Prefecture on August 23, 416, the first to be reliably documented took place in Nara prefecture on May 28, 599 during the reign of Empress Suiko, destroying buildings throughout Yamato province. Many historical records of Japanese earthquakes exist, and the Imperial Earthquake Investigation Committee was created in 1892 to conduct a systematic collation of the available historical data, published in 1899 as the Catalogue of Historical Data on Japanese Earthquakes. Following the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, the Imperial Earthquake Investigation Committee was superseded by the Earthquake Research Institute in 1925. In modern times, the catalogues compiled by Tatsuo Usami are considered to provide the most authoritative source of information on historic earthquakes, with the 2003 edition detailing 486 that took place between 416 and 1888.Earthquake measurement
In Japan, the shindo scale is commonly used to measure earthquakes by seismic intensity instead of magnitude. This is similar to the Modified Mercalli intensity scale used in the United States or the Liedu scale used in China, meaning that the scale measures the intensity of an earthquake at a given location instead of measuring the energy an earthquake releases at its epicenter as the Richter scale does.Unlike other seismic intensity scales, which normally have twelve levels of intensity, shindo as used by the Japan Meteorological Agency is a unit with ten levels, ranging from shindo zero, a very light tremor, to shindo seven, a severe earthquake. Intermediate levels for earthquakes with shindo five and six are "weak" or "strong", according to the degree of destruction they cause. Earthquakes measured at shindo four and lower are considered to be weak to mild, while those measured at five and above can cause heavy damage to furniture, wall tiles, wooden houses, reinforced concrete buildings, roads, gas and water pipes.
Earthquakes
| Date | Magnitude | Death toll | Name of quake | Japanese name | Rōmaji name | Epicenter | Description |
| | 8.4 MK | 101–1000 | 684 Hakuho earthquake | 白鳳南海地震 | Hakuhou Nankai jishin | Various references estimate the quake's magnitude at 8.0 to 8.4, with damage being "severe". The dates of the quake have also been listed variously as October 14 and November 24. | |
| 7.9 MK | occurred at Minoh | 天平地震 | Tenbyou jishin | Some references describe the quake as occurring on June 9 | |||
| 8.9 MK | 1,000+ | 869 Sanriku earthquake | 貞観地震 | Jōgan jishin | The resulting tsunami caused extensive flooding of the Sendai plain, destroying the town of Tagajō. | ||
| 7.1 Ms | 23,024 | 1293 Kamakura earthquake | 鎌倉大地震 | Kamakura Daijishin | The earthquake struck close to the city of Kamakura, Kanagawa and its magnitude has been estimated in the 7.1–7.5 range. It possibly triggered a tsunami and the death toll has been reported as 23,024. | ||
| 8.4 Ms | Shōhei earthquake | 正平南海地震 | Shōhei Nankai Jishin | Triggered a tsunami. | |||
| 8.6 MK | 31,000 | 1498 Nankai earthquake | 明応地震 | Meiō jishin | Occurred off the coast of Nankai, Japan, at about 08:00 local time on 20 September 1498. It had a magnitude estimated at 8.6 MS and triggered a large tsunami. The death toll associated with this event is uncertain, but 31,000 casualties were reported. | ||
| 7.9 MK | Tensho or Ise Bay earthquake | 天正大地震 | Tenshō Daijishin | Some islands in Ise Bay reportedly disappeared | |||
| 7.9 MK | 5,000+ | 1605 Nankai earthquake | 慶長大地震 | Keichō Daijishin | The 1605 Keichō Nankaidō earthquake occurred at about 20:00 local time on 3 February. It had an estimated magnitude of 7.9 on the surface wave magnitude scale and triggered a devastating tsunami that resulted in thousands of deaths in the Nankai and Tōkai regions of Japan. It is uncertain whether there were two separate earthquakes separated by a short time interval or a single event. It is referred to as a tsunami earthquake, in that the size of the tsunami greatly exceeds that expected from the magnitude of the earthquake. | ||
| 6.9 MK | 3,700+ | 1611 Aizu earthquake | 会津地震 | Aizu Jishin | Aizu basin, | According to official estimated report, more than 3,700 human fatalities. Aizuwakamatsu Castle, many temples, and 20,000 houses collapsed in the damaged areas. | |
| 8.1 | 2,000+ | 1611 Sanriku earthquake | 慶長三陸地震 | Keicho Sanriku Daijishin | Occurred on December 2, 1611 with an epicenter off the Sanriku coast in Iwate Prefecture. The magnitude of the earthquake was 8.1M. | ||
| 7.25 – 7.6 M | 700–900 | 1662 Kanbun Ōmi and Wakasa earthquake | 寛文近江・若狭地震 | kanbun Ōmi wakasa jishin | Lake Biwa south | Strong tremor in Ōmi · Wakasa area. This earthquake is causing crustal deformation. | |
| 8.5 – 9.0 M | unknown | 1667 Kanbun Tokachi-oki earthquake | 寛文・十勝沖地震 | kanbun Tokachi-oki jishin | Offshore Tokachi region | Inferred earthquake from tsunami deposits near Kushiro, Kuril Trench rupture. No record as the region was not yet under Japanese control. | |
| 8.3–8.6 ' | 569 | 1677 Bōsō earthquake | Offshore Bōsō Peninsula | This earthquake was felt with low intensity, but generated a large tsunami that killed 569 people. It is thought to have ruptured the interface between the Pacific Plate and the Okhotsk Plate at the southern end of the Japan Trench. | |||
| 8.0 ML | 5,233 | 1703 Genroku earthquake | 元禄大地震 | Genroku Daijishin | Edo | This earthquake shook Edo and killed an estimated 2,300 people. The earthquake is thought to have been an interplate earthquake whose focal region extended from Sagami Bay to the tip of the Bōsō Peninsula as well as the area along the Sagami Trough in the open sea southeast of the Boso Peninsula. This earthquake then resulted in a tsunami which hit the coastal areas of the Boso Peninsula and Sagami Bay. The tsunami was reported to have caused more than 10,000 fatalities. | |
| 8.6 ML | 5,000+ | 1707 Hōei earthquake | 宝永地震 | Hōei jishin | Off the Kii Peninsula | Struck both the Nankaidō and Tōkai regions, causing moderate to severe damage throughout southwestern Honshu, Shikoku and southeastern Kyūshū. This event also marked the last eruption of Mount Fuji to date. | |
| 7.4 MK | 13,486 | 1771 Great Yaeyama Tsunami | 八重山地震 | Yaeyama jishin | The 1771 Great Yaeyama Tsunami was caused by the Yaeyama Great Earthquake at about 8 A.M. on April 24. 13,486 people were confirmed to be dead or missing and more than 3,000 houses were destroyed. The height of the tsunami was over 40 meters at Ishigaki Island, up to a maximum of 85.4 meters in the village called Miyara. In Tarama, estimated tsunami runup height was approximately 18 meters. To this day, boulders reportedly launched by the tsunami remain in the northwestern highlands of Miyakojima. According to unverified local legend, a small unnamed island in the area was swallowed by the tsunami and disappeared. | ||
| 6.4 MK | 15,448 | 1792 Unzen earthquake and tsunami | 島原大変肥後迷惑 | Unzen jishin | An earthquake caused by volcanic activity of Mount Unzen. It killed 15,000 people altogether, due in large part to a tsunami that was triggered by the collapse of nearby Mount Mayuyama's southern flank into the bay. The incident is also referred to with the phrase 'Shimabara erupted, Higo affected', as many people in Higo, were also killed by the resulting tsunami, which then bounced back to hit Shimabara again. | ||
| 6.9 MK | 1,559 | 1828 Echigo Sanjō earthquake | 越後三条地震 | Echigo Sanjō Jishin | Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture | According to the official confirmed report, 21,134 houses and buildings were damaged, and 1,204 of them burned down. There were 1,559 human fatalities, and 2,666 injured people in the affected area. | |
| 7.3 M | 8,600+ | 1847 Nagano earthquake | 善光寺地震 | Zenkōji Jishin | Nagano Basin | In the central area of Nagano, many buildings collapsed, including Zenkōji temple. The earthquake triggered a complex variety of resulting disasters, which included fires, landslides, and flooding due to the formation and subsequent collapse of a "dam" made of debris from the collapsed buildings. According to the confirmed official report, the death toll throughout the region reached at least 8,600. 21,000 houses were damaged and 3,400 burned, and an additional 44,000 homes were damaged by the landslides in the area. | |
| 7.25 MK | 995 | 1854 Iga Ueno earthquake | 伊賀上野地震 | Iga Ueno Jishin | Iga, Mie Prefecture | According to the official confirmed report, 2,576 houses and buildings were damaged, with 995 human fatalities and 994 injures in the affected area. | |
| 8.4 MK | 2,000 | 1854 Tōkai earthquake | 安政東海地震 | Ansei Tōkai Jishin | Suruga Bay | The epicenter ranged from Suruga Bay to the deep ocean, and the quake struck primarily in the Tōkai region, but destroyed houses as far away as in Edo. The accompanying tsunami caused damage along the entire coast from the Bōsō Peninsula in modern-day Chiba prefecture to Tosa province. | |
| 8.4 MK | 10,000+ | 1854 Nankai earthquake | 安政南海地震 | Ansei Nankai Jishin | Nankai Trough | Over 10,000 people from the Tōkai region down to Kyushu were killed. | |
| 6.9 MK | 6,641 | 1855 Edo earthquake | 安政江戸地震 | Ansei Edo Jishin | Edo, near the mouth of the Arakawa River | One hundred and twenty earthquakes and tremors in total were felt in Edo in 1854–55. The great earthquake struck after 10 o'clock in the evening; roughly 30 aftershocks ensued, continuing until dawn. Records from the time indicate 6,641 deaths inside the city and 2,759 injuries; much of the city was destroyed by fire, leading many people to stay in rural inns. Aftershocks continued for twenty days. | |
| 7.0 | 200–300 | 1858 Hietsu earthquake | 飛越地震 | Hietsu Jishin | Atotsugawa Fault | It occurred on the Atotsugawa Fault, which connects Mount Tate in Toyama Prefecture and the Amō Pass in Gifu Prefecture on the island of Honshū in Japan. Its name includes one kanji from Hida Province and one from Etchū Province, the names of the provinces that were in use at the time. The earthquake is estimated to have killed 200–300 people. It also caused the Mount Tonbi Landslide and blocked the upper reaches of the Jōganji River. | |
| 7.1 MK | 551 | 1872 Hamada earthquake | 浜田地震 | Hamada Jishin | off coast Hamada, Shimane Prefecture | According to the official confirmed report, 4506 houses were damaged by the earthquake, 230 houses were burned, 551 people were killed, and landslides destroyed 6567 homes in the affected area. This quake occurred at 16:40 local time. | |
| 5.5–6.0 | 0 | 1880 Yokohama earthquake | 横浜地震 | Yokohama Jishin | Yokohama City | The damage was minor. However, the Seismological Society of Japan was established in response to the quake. | |
| 6.3 | 20 | 1889 Kumamoto earthquake | 熊本地震 | Kumamoto Jishin | Tatsuda fault | First major earthquake after the establishment of the Seismological Society of Japan in 1880. | |
| 8.0 ML | 7,273 | 1891 Mino–Owari earthquake | 美濃・尾張地震 | Mino Owari Jishin | Neodani Fault | A large earthquake that struck the former provinces of Mino and Owari in the Nōbi Plain area during the Meiji period in Japan. It is also referred to as the Nōbi Earthquake or the Great Nōbi Earthquake'. | |
| 6.6 ML | 31 | 1894 Tokyo earthquake | 明治東京地震 | Meiji-Tokyo Jishin | Tokyo Bay | This earthquake occurred in Tokyo, Japan at 14:04 on June 20, 1894. It affected downtown Tokyo and neighboring Kanagawa prefecture, especially the cities of Kawasaki and Yokohama. The depth of the 1894 earthquake has not been determined, but it is thought to have occurred within the subducting Pacific Plate under the Kantō region. The death toll was 31 killed and 157 injured. | |
| 7.0 ML | 726 | 1894 Shōkai earthquake | 庄内地震 | Shōnai Jishin | Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture | According to the official confirmed report, 14,118 houses and buildings were damaged and 2,148 were burned. There were 726 human fatalities and 8,403 people injured in the damaged area. A large-scale fire broke out in Sakata, and around the Shonai plain area, many instances of cracked earth, sinking ground, sand boils, and fountains were observed. | |
| 8.5 ML | 22,000+ | 1896 Sanriku earthquake | 明治三陸地震 | Meiji Sanriku Jishin | This quake occurred off the coast of Sanriku in Iwate Prefecture, which caused a tsunami of to strike 35 minutes after the quake, destroying hundreds of houses and killed over 22,000 people. Tsunami were also observed as far away as Hawaii and in California. | ||
| 8.3 ML | 142,800 | 1923 Great Kantō earthquake | 大正関東地震 | Taishō Kantō Jishin | Izu Ōshima | An earthquake which struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58 on the morning of September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes. The quake had an epicenter deep beneath Izu Ōshima Island in Sagami Bay. It devastated Tokyo, the port city of Yokohama, and the surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, and Shizuoka, and caused widespread damage throughout the Kantō region. The power and intensity of the earthquake is easy to underestimate, but the 1923 earthquake managed to move the 93-ton Great Buddha statue at Kamakura. The statue slid forward almost two feet. Casualty estimates range up to about 142,800 deaths, a figure including approximately 40,000 who went missing and were presumed dead. | |
| 6.8 ML | 428 | 1925 Kita Tajima earthquake | 北但馬地震 | Kita Tajima Jishin | Toyooka in Hyōgo Prefecture | This earthquake's epicenter was, in the Maruyama River estuary. According to the Japanese government's official report, there were 428 human fatalities, 1,016 people injured, 7,863 buildings destroyed, and 45,659 houses damaged by collapse or fire. This quake caused extensive damage to the town of Toyooka and the Maruyama River area. Just before the shaking could be felt, a sound like a cannon was reportedly heard intermittently from the direction of the estuary near the Maruyama River. During the earthquake, the ground in the town of Tokyooka experienced strong seismic vibrations for 16 seconds. As most of the buildings of the time were wooden, many of them were destroyed at once during the initial earthquake. In the fire that broke out subsequently, half of Toyooka was burned down, with many deaths resulting 272 deaths were confirmed to have occurred in the Kinosaki area. | |
| 7.6 ML | 3,020 | 1927 Kita Tango earthquake | 北丹後地震 | Kita Tango Jishin | Tango Peninsula in Kyoto Prefecture | Almost all of the houses in Mineyama were destroyed, and the quake was felt as far away as Tokyo and Kagoshima. | |
| 7.3 Ms | 272 | 1930 North Izu earthquake | 1930年北伊豆地震 | Sen-kyūhyaku-sanjū-nen Kita-Izu Jishin | Izu Peninsula | ||
| 8.4 Mw | 3,000+ | 1933 Sanriku earthquake | 昭和三陸地震 | Shōwa Sanriku Jishin | east of the city of Kamaishi, Iwate | A major earthquake whose associated tsunami caused widespread damage to towns on the Sanriku coast of the Tōhoku region of Honshū, Japan in 1933. | |
| 7.2 Ms | 0 | 1936 Miyagi earthquake | 1936年宮城県沖地震 | Sen-kyūhyaku-sanjūroku-nen Miyagi-ken-oki Jishin | offshore Miyagi | ||
| 7.2 ML | 1,083 | 1943 Tottori earthquake | 鳥取地震 | Tottori Jishin | offshore from Ketaka District | An earthquake which occurred in Tottori prefecture, Japan at 17:36 on September 10, 1943. Although the earthquake occurred during World War II, information about the disaster was surprisingly uncensored, and relief volunteers and supplies came from many parts of the Japanese empire, including Manchukuo. The Tottori earthquake had its epicenter offshore from Ketaka District, now part of Tottori city, with a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter Scale. The magnitude of the earthquake was 6.0 in Tottori city, and 5.0 as far away as Okayama on the Inland Sea. | |
| 8.1 Mw | 1,223 | 1944 Tōnankai earthquake | 昭和東南海地震 | Shōwa Tōnankai Jishin | This earthquake occurred on Dec. 7, 1944, at 13:35 local time. Its moment magnitude was 8.1 and it was felt with a maximum intensity of 5 on the Shindo scale. It struck the provinces along the coast of the Tōkai region, causing serious damage and triggering a tsunami. The earthquake and tsunami combined killed 1,223 people, with injuries reported to have affected 20,000 people or more. | ||
| 6.8 ML | 1180 + 1126 missing | 1945 Mikawa earthquake | 三河地震 | Mikawa Jishin | Mikawa Bay | An earthquake which occurred off Mie and Aichi prefectures, Japan at 03:38 on January 13, 1945. As the earthquake occurred during World War II, information about the disaster was censored, and efforts at keeping the disaster secret hampered relief efforts and contributed to a high death toll. The Mikawa earthquake had its epicenter offshore in Mikawa Bay. The city of Tsu recorded a magnitude of 6 on the Richter Scale; however, areas in southern Aichi prefecture were closer to the epicenter, and suffered significant damage. | |
| 8.1 Mw | 1,362 | 1946 Nankai earthquake | 昭和南海地震 | Shōwa Nankai Jishin | Nankai Trough | A major earthquake in Nankaidō, Japan. Occurred on December 20, 1946 at 19:19 UTC. The earthquake was felt from Northern Honshū to Kyūshū. | |
| 7.1 Mw | 3,769 | 1948 Fukui earthquake | 福井地震 | Fukui Jishin | near Maruoka, Fukui | A major earthquake in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. It struck at 5:13 p.m. on June 28, 1948. The strongest shaking occurred in the city of Fukui, where it was recorded as 6 on the Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale. The coordinates of the earthquake were 36゜10.3'N 136゜17.4'E. | |
| 8.1 Mw | 28 | 1952 Hokkaido earthquake | 1952年十勝沖地震 | Sen-kyūhyaku-goūjūni-nen Tokachi-Oki Jishin | The 1952 Hokkaido earthquake took place around March 4, 1952 in the sea east of Hokkaido. On the Moment magnitude scale, it measured 8.1. Casualties occurred due to the earthquake. | ||
| 7.0 | 8 | 1961 Mino earthquake | 北美濃地震 | Kitamino Jishin | One of the earthquakes that the Japan Meteorological Agency named for the. 8 people dead. | ||
| 7.6 Mw | 26 | 1964 Niigata earthquake | 新潟地震 | Niigata Jishin | 50 km north of Niigata | The earthquake caused widespread soil liquefaction in the city of Niigata, resulting in unusually high levels of damage to buildings for the felt intensity. | |
| 7.5 Mw | 0 | 1968 Hyūga-nada earthquake | 1968年日向灘地震 | Sen-kyūhyaku-rokujūhachi-nen Hyūga-nada Jishin | Hyūga-nada Sea | ||
| 8.2 Mw | 52 | 1968 Tokachi earthquake | 1968年十勝沖地震 | Sen-kyūhyaku-rokujūhachi-nen Tokachi-oki Jishin | Offshore of Misawa, Japan | This earthquake struck off the coast of Honshu Island, near Misawa Japan, Aomori Prefecture, and was followed by a significant tsunami. The earthquake and ensuing tsunami claimed 52 lives and resulted in significant material damage in Northern Japan. | |
| 6.5 Ms | 25 | 1974 Izu Peninsula earthquake | 1974年伊豆半島沖地震 | Sen-kyūhyaku-nanajūyo-nen Izu-hantō-oki Jishin | near Izu Peninsula | ||
| 7.7 Ms | 28 | 1978 Miyagi earthquake | 宮城県沖地震 | Miyagi-ken-oki jishin | just offshore Miyagi Prefecture | Damage was greatest around Sendai, and the earthquake triggered widespread landslides. | |
| 7.8 Ms | 104 | 1983 Sea of Japan earthquake | 日本海中部地震 | Nihonkai-chubu jishin | off coast 50 miles from Noshiro, Akita Prefecture | Rising up to 30 feet above the coastline, the tsunami created by this earthquake was observed throughout a wide area along the Sea of Japan's coast and caused damage from Tsuruoka to Goshogawara. 100 people lost their lives to the tsunami, including seawall construction workers and beachgoers. In total, 104 people were killed. Soil liquification was widely observed through the affected area. | |
| 6.3 Ms | 29 | 1984 Otaki earthquake | 長野県西部地震 | Nagano-ken-seibu jishin | Mount Ontake, Otaki, Nagano Prefecture | Overall, 29 people were killed and 10 injured. | |
| 7.7 Mw | 202 | 1993 Hokkaidō earthquake | 北海道南西沖地震 | Hokkaidō Nansei Oki Jishin | |||
| 7.7 Mw | 3 | 1994 offshore Sanriku earthquake | 三陸はるか沖地震 | Sanriku-haruka-oki Jishin | |||
| 7.3 Mw | 6,434 | Great Hanshin earthquake | 兵庫県南部地震 | Hyōgoken Nanbu Jishin | northern end of Awaji Island | An earthquake in Japan that occurred on Tuesday January 17, 1995 at 05:46 JST in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture. It measured 6.8 on the Moment magnitude scale, and Mj7.3 on the revised JMA magnitude scale. The tremors lasted for approximately 20 seconds. The hypocenter of the earthquake was located beneath its epicenter, on the northern end of Awaji Island, away from the city of Kobe. | |
| 7.5 Mw | 0 | 1998 Ryukyu Islands earthquake | 石垣島南方沖地震 | Ishigakijima nanpō-oki jishin | The epicentre was in the Philippine Sea, far off the coast. | ||
| 6.7 Mw | 2 | 2001 Geiyo earthquake | 2001年芸予地震 | Nisen-ichi-nen Gēyo Jishin | |||
| 8.3 Mw | 1 | 2003 Hokkaidō earthquake | 2003年十勝沖地震 | Nisen-san-nen Tokachi-oki Jishin | An earthquake occurring in Hokkaido on September 25, 2003. It measured 8.3 on the Moment magnitude scale and caused extensive damage to roads all around Hokkaido, several power outages, and landslides which resulted in further damage. | ||
| 6.9 Mw | 68 | 2004 Chūetsu earthquake | 新潟県中越地震 | Chūetsu Jishin | Ojiya, Niigata | Occurred at 5:56 p.m. on Saturday, October 23, 2004. The initial earthquake caused noticeable shaking across almost half of Honshū, including parts of the Tohoku, Hokuriku, Chūbu, and Kantō regions. | |
| 7.0 Mw | 1 | 2005 Fukuoka earthquake | 福岡県西方沖地震 | Fukuoka-ken Seihō Oki Jishin | In the Genkai Sea about northwest of Genkai Island at the mouth of Fukuoka Harbor | This earthquake struck Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan at 10:53:40 JST on March 20 and lasted for approximately 50 seconds. The quake occurred along a previously unknown fault in the Genkai Sea, North of Fukuoka city, and the residents of Genkai Island were forced to evacuate as houses collapsed and landslides occurred in places. Investigations subsequent to the earthquake determined that the new fault was most likely an extension of the known Kego Fault that runs through the center of the city. | |
| 7.2 Mw | 0 | 2005 Miyagi earthquake | 宮城県沖地震 | Miyagi-ken Oki Jishin | about due east of the Oshika Peninsula in Miyagi Prefecture | A powerful earthquake that struck the east coast of the Japanese island of Honshū at 11:46 on August 16, causing casualties, building collapses and power outages. The earthquake began on Tuesday, August 16, 2005, and affected Japan's northeastern coast. It triggered a tsunami warning, and buildings shook 200 miles away in the capital, Tokyo. It was initially estimated to have a rating of 6.8., and the U.S. Geological Survey later registered it as a 7.2. | |
| 8.3 Mw | 0 | 2006 Kuril Islands earthquake | 2006年千島列島沖地震 | Nisen-roku-nen Chishima Rettō Oki Jishin | about due east of the southern tip of Simushir in the Kuril Islands | The earthquake happened at 20:29 JST on November 15, 2006, causing a tsunami to hit the Japanese northern coast. | |
| 8.1 Mw | 0 | 2007 Kuril Islands earthquake | 2007年千島列島沖地震 | Nisen-nana-nen Chishima Rettō Oki Jishin | The earthquake happened at 1:23 p.m. JST was a powerful magnitude 6.6 earthquake that occurred 10:13 a.m. local time on July 16, 2007, in the northwest Niigata region of Japan. The earthquake shook Niigata and neighbouring prefectures. The city of Kashiwazaki and the villages of Iizuna and Kariwa registered the highest seismic intensity of a strength 6 on Japan's shindo scale, but the quake was felt as far away as Tokyo. Eleven deaths and at least 1,000 injuries have been reported, and 342 buildings were completely destroyed, mostly older wooden structures. | ||
| 6.9 Mw | 12 | 2008 Iwate–Miyagi Nairiku earthquake | 岩手・宮城内陸地震 | Iwate Miyagi Nairiku Jishin | about east of Narusawa Onsen in northwest Iwate Prefecture | This earthquake struck the central Tōhoku region, in northeastern Honshū, Japan. | |
| 6.6 Mw | 1 | 2009 Shizuoka earthquake | 駿河湾地震 | Suruga-wan Jishin | , depth 20.0 km | ||
| 7.0 Mw | 1 | Ryūkyū Islands earthquake | 沖縄本島近海地震 | Okinawa-hontō-kinkai Jishin | , depth 22.0 km | ||
| 7.4 Mw | 0 | Bonin Islands earthquake | 父島近海地震 | Chichijima-kinkai Jishin | , depth 14.9 km | ||
| 7.2 Mw | 0 | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake foreshock | 東北地方太平洋沖地震 | Tōhokuchihō Taiheiyō Oki Jishin | , depth 32 km | ||
| 05:46:23 UTC | 9.1 Mw | 18,430 | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake | 東北地方太平洋沖地震 | Tōhokuchihō Taiheiyō Oki Jishin | , depth 29 km | This megathrust earthquake's hypocenter was reported to be off the Oshika Peninsula, the east coast of Tōhoku It was the strongest to hit Japan and one of the top five largest earthquakes in the world since seismological record-keeping began. It was followed by a tsunami with waves of up to. The disaster left thousands dead and inflicted extensive material damage to buildings and infrastructure that led to significant accidents at four major nuclear power stations. |
| 06:25:50 UTC | 7.1 Mw | 0 | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake aftershock | 東北地方太平洋沖地震 | Tōhokuchihō Taiheiyō Oki Jishin | , depth 19.7 km | |
| 23:30:00 JST | 7.1 Mw | 4 | 2011 Miyagi earthquake aftershock | 宮城県沖地震 | Miyagi-ken Oki Jishin | , depth 49 km | |
| 17:16:13 JST | 7.1 Mw | 6 | 2011 Fukushima earthquake aftershock | 福島県浜通り地震 | Fukushima-ken Hamadori Jishin | , depth 10 km | |
| 10:57:12 JST | 7.0 Mw | 0 | 2011 Fukushima earthquake aftershock | 福島県浜通り地震 | Fukushima-ken Hamadori Jishin | , depth 49 km | Quake was centered c. 242 km SW of Hachijo-jima |
| 14:27:54 JST | 6.8 Mw | 0 | Izu Islands, Japan | 鳥島近海地震 | Torishima-kinkai Jishin | , depth 348.5 km | 242 km SW of Hachijo-jima, Izu Islands, Japan 365 km S of Hamamatsu, Honshu, Japan |
| 17:18:24 JST | 7.3 Mw | 3 | 2012 Kamaishi earthquake | 三陸沖地震 | Sanriku Oki Jishin | , depth 32.0 km | 293 km SE of Kamaishi, Japan 492 km ENE of Tokyo, Japan |
| 02:10:19 JST | 7.1 Mw | 0 | Off the east coast of Honshu | 福島県沖地震 | Fukushima-ken oki jishin | , 35.0 km depth | |
| 20:24 JST | 7.8 Mw | 0 | Bonin Islands | 小笠原諸島西方沖地震 | Ogasawara-shoto Seihō Oki Jishin | , depth 677.6 km | WNW of Chichijima, Japan |
| 21:26:39 JST | 6.2 Mw | 9 | 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes | 平成28年（2016年）熊本地震 | Heisei-28-nen Kumamoto jishin | depth 10.0 km | 7 km SW of Ueki, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan |
| 1:25 JST | 7.0 Mw | 41 | 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes | 平成28年（2016年）熊本地震 | Heisei-28-nen Kumamoto jishin | , depth 10.0 km | 1 km E of Kumamoto, Japan |
| 05:59:49 JST | 6.9 Mw | 0 | 2016 Fukushima earthquake | 福島県沖地震 | Fukushima-ken oki jishin | , 11.4 km depth | 37 km ESE of Namie, Fukushima |
| June 18, 2018 07:58:35 JST | 5.5 Mw | 4 | 2018 Osaka earthquake | 大阪府北部地震 | Ōsaka-fu Hokubu Jishin | , 13.2 km depth | 2 km NNW of Hirakata, Osaka |
| September 6, 2018 03:08 JST | 6.6 Mw | 41 | 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake | 北海道胆振東部地震 | Hokkaido Iburi Tōbu Jishin | , 33.4 km depth | 27km E of Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan |
| June 18, 2019 22:22 JST | 6.4 Mw | 0 | 2019 Yamagata earthquake | 山形県沖地震 | Yamagata-ken Oki jishin'' | , 16.1 km depth | 33km WSW of Tsuruoka |