# Japan Earthquake Today: Live Map and Latest Quakes

Updated 11:27 UTC, 29 Oct 2026. Canonical: https://monitorworld.app/live/earthquakes/japan

USGS listed **4 earthquakes** of magnitude 2.5 or more in and around Japan in the past 24 hours, 15 in the past 7 days and 61 in the past 30 days. The strongest of the past 30 days was an **M6.5** quake (Bonin Islands, Japan region) on 25 Oct 2026. In an average year this area has about 123 quakes of M5+ (USGS, 1996-2025); the past 12 months had 158, about 28% more than the 30-year average.

## Key numbers

- Earthquakes, past 24 h (M2.5+): **4**
- Past 7 days: **15**
- Past 30 days: **61**
- Strongest, past 30 days: **M6.5** (2026-10-25)

## Latest earthquakes in and around Japan (M2.5+)

- [LOW] [M4.6 · 17 km N of Kushiro, Japan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000ttv1) (2026-10-28 23:13 UTC, 12h ago, 130 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.3 · 10 km SSE of Hasaki, Japan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000ttts) (2026-10-28 20:22 UTC, 15h ago, 26 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.7 · 6 km N of Asahi, Japan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000ttt2) (2026-10-28 18:32 UTC, 17h ago, 41 km deep, USGS)
- [MED] [M5.5 · 5 km ESE of Asahi, Japan](https://monitorworld.app/earthquake/2026-10-28-m5-5-asahi-japan) (2026-10-28 15:07 UTC, 20h ago, 41 km deep, quake page)
- [LOW] [M4.6 · 203 km SSE of Tateyama, Japan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000tte0) (2026-10-27 01:17 UTC, 2d ago, 67 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.8 · 54 km E of Tomioka, Japan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000ttdt) (2026-10-27 00:25 UTC, 2d ago, 49 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.2 · 37 km E of Hachinohe, Japan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000u4xv) (2026-10-26 04:12 UTC, 3d ago, 60 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.8 · Bonin Islands, Japan region](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000u4wi) (2026-10-25 22:16 UTC, 4d ago, 482 km deep, USGS)
- [MED] [M5.3 · Bonin Islands, Japan region](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000u4we) (2026-10-25 22:14 UTC, 4d ago, 485 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.5 · 74 km SSE of Onagawa Chō, Japan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000u4sv) (2026-10-25 06:04 UTC, 4d ago, 53 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.2 · Bonin Islands, Japan region](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000u4ru) (2026-10-25 02:47 UTC, 4d ago, 500 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.8 · Bonin Islands, Japan region](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000u4rr) (2026-10-25 02:36 UTC, 4d ago, 499 km deep, USGS)
- [HIGH] [M6.5 · Bonin Islands, Japan region](https://monitorworld.app/earthquake/2026-10-25-m6-5-bonin-islands-japan-region) (2026-10-25 02:09 UTC, 4d ago, 492 km deep, tsunami flag, quake page)
- [MED] [M5.3 · 44 km ESE of Miyazaki, Japan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000u4qq) (2026-10-24 23:59 UTC, 5d ago, 10 km deep, USGS)
- [MED] [M5.1 · 72 km ENE of Noda, Japan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000u4e2) (2026-10-23 16:07 UTC, 6d ago, 38 km deep, USGS)

## Strongest earthquakes in and around Japan, past 12 months

- [CRIT] [M7.6 · 2025 Aomori Prefecture, Japan Earthquake](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000rtdt) (2025-12-08 14:15 UTC, 325d ago, 41 km deep, USGS)
- [CRIT] [M7.4 · 102 km ENE of Miyako, Japan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000sri7) (2026-04-20 07:52 UTC, 192d ago, 25 km deep, USGS)
- [HIGH] [M6.9 · 35 km ENE of Noda, Japan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000t7zq) (2026-06-24 22:30 UTC, 127d ago, 34 km deep, USGS)
- [HIGH] [M6.8 · The 2026 Kumamoto Region, Japan Earthquake](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000tgb9) (2026-07-28 07:27 UTC, 93d ago, 8 km deep, USGS)
- [HIGH] [M6.8 · 122 km E of Yamada, Japan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000rmea) (2025-11-09 08:03 UTC, 354d ago, 18 km deep, USGS)
- [HIGH] [M6.7 · 41 km ESE of Ōfunato, Japan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000sxwq) (2026-05-15 11:22 UTC, 167d ago, 42 km deep, USGS)

## Key context

### What is normal in and around Japan

Over the 30 years 1996-2025, USGS recorded 3,691 earthquakes of M5 or more in and around Japan: about 123 a year, or 10 a month. The past 12 months had 158, about 28% more than the 30-year average. Quakes of M6 or more average 11.2 a year here (335 in 30 years), and 18 of them happened in the past 12 months.

Busy years usually mean one large quake and its aftershocks: the peak year here was 2011 with 861. Counts cover the Japanese islands and their offshore trenches, from the Ryukyu Islands to Hokkaido and the Bonin Islands. They come from the USGS ComCat catalog, which records small quakes more completely in the US than elsewhere, so compare like with like.

| Magnitude | 30-year total | Average per year | Past 12 months |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| M5+ | 3,691 | 123 | 158 |
| M6+ | 335 | 11 | 18 |
| M7+ | 31 | 1 | 2 |

### Largest earthquakes recorded in and around Japan

USGS catalog since 1900, M6.5+, inside the same area. Names as listed by USGS.

| Magnitude | Place (USGS) | Date | Depth |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| M9.1 | 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake, Japan | 2011-03-11 | 29 km |
| M8.4 | 1933 Sanriku (Sanriku-oki) Earthquake, Japan | 1933-03-02 | 15 km |
| M8.3 | 68 km S of Shing, Japan | 1946-12-20 | 15 km |
| M8.2 | 1968 Tokachi-Oki Earthquake | 1968-05-16 | 27 km |
| M8.2 | 2003 Tokachi-Oki Earthquake | 2003-09-25 | 27 km |
| M8.1 | 1910 Taiwan Earthquake | 1910-04-12 | 235 km |
| M8.1 | 1944 Toankai Earthquake | 1944-12-07 | 15 km |
| M8.1 | 1952 Tokachi-Oki Earthquake | 1952-03-04 | 45 km |

### Plates and faults

Japan is one of the most active places on Earth because four plates meet under it. The Pacific Plate dives west under northern Japan along the Japan and Kuril trenches; the Philippine Sea Plate dives north-west under south-west Japan along the Nankai Trough and the Ryukyu Trench; and the islands themselves sit on the Okhotsk and Amurian plates, which are cut by many active faults.

The result is a mix of quake types: great megathrust quakes offshore (the M9.1 Tohoku quake of 11 March 2011), deep quakes in the sinking slabs, and shallow crustal quakes under the islands, such as Kobe in 1995 and the Noto Peninsula on 1 January 2024.

- Japan Trench and Kuril Trench (Pacific Plate, off Tohoku and Hokkaido)
- Nankai Trough and Sagami Trough (Philippine Sea Plate, off south-west Japan and Tokyo)
- Ryukyu Trench (Okinawa and the south-west islands)
- Izu-Bonin Trench (south of Tokyo, many deep quakes)
- Inland faults such as the Median Tectonic Line and the faults under Kobe and Noto

### Where the recent quakes were

Of the 61 quakes of the past 30 days, 39 were shallow (less than 70 km deep), 17 intermediate (70-300 km) and 5 deep (more than 300 km). 61 reached M4 or more. The places USGS named most often were Bonin Islands, Japan region (7), Noda, Japan (4), Izu Islands, Japan region (4).

### Official sources and warnings

- [Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)](https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html): the official source for quake reports, shindo intensity, Earthquake Early Warnings and tsunami warnings in Japan.
- [J-Alert and Earthquake Early Warning](https://www.data.jma.go.jp/eew/data/nc/index.html): JMA's early warnings reach phones, TV and loudspeakers seconds before strong shaking.
- [Safety tips app (Japan Tourism Agency)](https://www.jnto.go.jp/safety-tips/eng/app.html): free app that pushes quake, tsunami and weather warnings in English and other languages for visitors.

### What to do in an earthquake

If you feel shaking: **Drop, Cover and Hold On** until it stops. Stay away from windows and heavy furniture, and do not run outside during the shaking. On a coast, strong or long shaking is a natural tsunami warning: move to high ground or inland at once, on foot if you can. Then follow your local officials; this page is not a warning service.

In Japan, follow JMA warnings and local announcements. When a coastal quake is strong or long, or a tsunami warning is issued, move to high ground or a tsunami evacuation building at once; do not wait to see the wave.

## FAQ

### Was there an earthquake in and around Japan today?

Yes. USGS listed 4 quakes of M2.5+ in and around Japan in the past 24 hours (as of 11:27 UTC); the latest was a M4.6 17 km N of Kushiro, Japan at 23:13 UTC. Smaller quakes may only appear on Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

### How many earthquakes does Japan have per year?

From 1996 to 2025, USGS recorded about 123 quakes of M5+, about 11 quakes of M6+, about 1 quakes of M7+ per year in and around Japan. Counting all sizes, local networks record far more, because most quakes are too small to feel.

### What was the biggest earthquake in and around Japan?

The largest quake in the USGS catalog for this area since 1900 is the M9.1 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake, Japan of 11 Mar 2011. The table above lists the largest 8.

### Where can I get official earthquake alerts for Japan?

[Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)](https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html): the official source for quake reports, shindo intensity, Earthquake Early Warnings and tsunami warnings in Japan. [J-Alert and Earthquake Early Warning](https://www.data.jma.go.jp/eew/data/nc/index.html): JMA's early warnings reach phones, TV and loudspeakers seconds before strong shaking. [Safety tips app (Japan Tourism Agency)](https://www.jnto.go.jp/safety-tips/eng/app.html): free app that pushes quake, tsunami and weather warnings in English and other languages for visitors.

### What is the shindo scale used in Japan?

Shindo is JMA's scale of shaking at a place, not the size of the quake. It runs from 0 to 7, with levels 5 and 6 split into lower and upper (5-, 5+, 6-, 6+). One quake has one magnitude but many shindo values, highest near the epicentre. USGS uses magnitude and the Modified Mercalli scale instead.

### What is a Nankai Trough megaquake advisory?

When a M6.8+ quake hits in or near the Nankai Trough area, JMA checks whether the chance of a larger quake has risen and can issue "Nankai Trough Earthquake Extra Information". JMA issued its first megaquake advisory in August 2024 after a M7.1 quake off Miyazaki. It is a call to review preparedness, not a prediction.

### Can earthquakes be predicted?

No. USGS states that no scientist has ever predicted a major earthquake. Scientists can only estimate the long-term probability of quakes in an area. Early-warning systems such as ShakeAlert detect a quake that has already started and warn seconds before the shaking arrives.

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## Sources

- [USGS Earthquake Hazards Program](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/): real-time GeoJSON feeds, public domain. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.
- [USGS ComCat (FDSN event web service)](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1/): the USGS earthquake catalog, used for the 30-year counts, history and aftershocks. Public domain. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.

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