Major Earthquakes in Japan Since 2011

Society DisasterAt 4:27 pm on July 28, 2026, a powerful earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū, bringing violent shaking of 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in the city of Uki and the town of Hikawa in the prefecture’s center. The Japan Meteorological Agency estimated the quake’s magnitude as 7.1 with a hypocenter at a relatively shallow depth of just 10 kilometers. Elsewhere in Kumamoto, shaking of upper 6 was recorded in Minami-ku, Kumamoto, the city of Uto, and the town of Mashiki, while upper 5 intensity shaking took place in cities including Kamiamakusa and Kōshi.

Authorities issued a tsunami alert for the shores of the Ariake Sea in central Kyūshū, and aftershocks continued to shake the region, including a magnitude 6.1 temblor at 5:08 pm in roughly the same area.

Earthquakes of Lower 6 Intensity or Above Since the Great East Japan Earthquake

| Date (Time) | Hypocenter | Magnitude (Max. Seismic Intensity) |
|---|---|---|
| July 28, 2026 (16:27) | Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture | 7.1(7) |
| June 26, 2026 (22:29) | Eastern Yamanashi Prefecture/Fuji Five Lakes | 5.6(lower 6) |
| June 25, 2026 (7:30) | Off Iwate Prefecture | 7.2(upper 6) |
| December 8, 2025 (23:15) | Off Aomori Prefecture | 7.6(upper 6) |
| July 3, 2025 (16:13) | Off the Tokara Islands | 5.5(lower 6) |
| August 8, 2024 (16:43) | Hyūganada Sea | 7.1(lower 6) |
| April 17, 2024 (23:14) | Bungo Channel | 6.6(lower 6) |
| January 1, 2024 (16:10) | Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture | 7.6(7) |
| May 5, 2023 (14:42) | Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture | 6.5(upper 6) |
| June 19, 2022 (15:08) | Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture | 5.2(lower 6) |
| March 16, 2022 (23:36) | Off Fukushima Prefecture | 7.3(upper 6) |
| February 13, 2021 (23:07) | Off Fukushima Prefecture | 7.3(upper 6) |
| June 18, 2019 (22:22) | Off Yamagata Prefecture | 6.7(upper 6) |
| February 21, 2019 (21:22) | Central/eastern Iburi, Hokkaidō | 5.8(lower 6) |
| January 3, 2019 (18:10) | Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture | 5.1(lower 6) |
| September 6, 2018 (3:07) | Central/eastern Iburi, Hokkaidō | 6.7(7) |
| June 18, 2018 (7:58) | Northern Osaka Prefecture | 6.1(lower 6) |
| December 28, 2016 (21:38) | Northern Ibaraki Prefecture | 6.3(lower 6) |
| October 21, 2016 (14:07) | Central Tottori Prefecture | 6.6(lower 6) |
| June 16, 2016 (14:21) | Uchiura Bay, off southwestern Hokkaidō | 5.3(lower 6) |
| April 16, 2016 (9:48) | Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture | 5.4(lower 6) |
| April 16, 2016 (3:55) | Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture | 5.8(upper 6) |
| April 16, 2016 (1:45) | Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture | 5.9(lower 6) |
| April 16, 2016 (1:25) | Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture | 7.3(7) |
| April 15, 2016 (3:46) | Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture | 6.4(upper 6) |
| April 14, 2016 (22:07) | Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture | 5.8(lower 6) |
| April 14, 2016 (21:26) | Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture | 6.5(7) |
| November 22, 2014 (22:08) | Northern Nagano Prefecture | 6.7(lower 6) |
| April 13, 2013 (5:33) | Near Awajishima, Hyōgo Prefecture | 6.3(lower 6) |
| April 12, 2011 (14:07) | Central Fukushima Prefecture | 6.4(lower 6) |
| April 11, 2011 (17:16) | Eastern Fukushima Prefecture | 7.0(lower 6) |
| April 7, 2011 (23:32) | Off Miyagi Prefecture | 7.2(upper 6) |
| March 15, 2011 (22:31) | Eastern Shizuoka Prefecture | 6.4(upper 6) |
| March 12, 2011 (5:42) | Northern Nagano Prefecture | 5.3(lower 6) |
| March 12, 2011 (4:31) | Northern Nagano Prefecture | 5.9(lower 6) |
| March 12, 2011 (3:59) | Northern Nagano Prefecture | 6.7(upper 6) |
| March 11, 2011 (15:15) | Off Ibaraki Prefecture | 7.6(upper 6) |
| March 11, 2011 (14:46)* | Off Sanriku area | 9.0(7) |

• Highlighted quakes are those connected with the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake.

Created by Nippon.com based on data from the Japan Meteorological Association.

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: A collapsed retaining wall in Hachinohe, Aomori, on June 25, 2026. © Kyōdō.)