Japan is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, located at the junction of four tectonic plates: the Pacific, Philippine Sea, Eurasian, and North American plates. The country experiences thousands of earthquakes annually, including several major events each decade. The 2011 Tohoku earthquake (M9.1) was one of the most powerful ever recorded, triggering a devastating tsunami.
| Mag | Location | Time | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| M4.8 | 10 km WNW of Honmachi, Japan | 2026-07-28 14:01 | 9.343 km |
| M4.7 | 8 km SSW of Mifune, Japan | 2026-07-28 12:26 | 10 km |
| M4.4 | 10 km SE of Honmachi, Japan | 2026-07-28 10:09 | 10 km |
| M4.4 | 10 km ESE of Uki, Japan | 2026-07-28 10:03 | 10 km |
| M4.9 | 14 km NNE of Tsunagi, Japan | 2026-07-28 08:18 | 10 km |
| M5.6 | 16 km NE of Tsunagi, Japan | 2026-07-28 08:08 | 10 km |
| M6.8 | 5 km E of Uto, Japan | 2026-07-28 07:27 | 10 km |
| M4.2 | 113 km S of Honchō, Japan | 2026-07-27 18:40 | 47.852 km |
| M4.4 | 182 km SSE of Tateyama, Japan | 2026-07-24 23:18 | 73.068 km |
| M4 | 216 km SE of Kushimoto, Japan | 2026-07-23 13:18 | 390.066 km |
| M5.1 | 85 km SE of Tatsugō, Japan | 2026-07-23 09:22 | 10 km |
| M4.4 | 58 km ESE of Tomioka, Japan | 2026-07-22 11:11 | 47.601 km |
| M4 | 117 km NE of Esashi, Japan | 2026-07-20 23:18 | 302.727 km |
| M4.1 | 281 km N of Ama, Japan | 2026-07-19 01:40 | 459.817 km |
| M4.4 | 27 km E of Hasaki, Japan | 2026-07-17 19:45 | 47.336 km |
| M5.2 | 48 km E of Nishinoomote, Japan | 2026-07-16 21:49 | 35 km |
| M4.6 | 140 km SE of Katsuura, Japan | 2026-07-16 16:04 | 10 km |
| M4.1 | 49 km ENE of Noda, Japan | 2026-07-16 16:00 | 55.296 km |
| M4.7 | 1 km WNW of Sōsa, Japan | 2026-07-16 00:01 | 59.688 km |
| M4.9 | 50 km E of Noda, Japan | 2026-07-14 08:07 | 44.48 km |
| M5 | 117 km E of Noda, Japan | 2026-07-14 07:44 | 11.338 km |
| M4.7 | 70 km NNW of Hirara, Japan | 2026-07-09 16:21 | 104.146 km |
| M5.1 | 50 km SW of Shirahama, Japan | 2026-07-09 12:58 | 10 km |
| M4.7 | 8 km ENE of Noda, Japan | 2026-07-08 07:35 | 58.199 km |
| M4.6 | 52 km E of Noda, Japan | 2026-07-06 17:09 | 57.696 km |
| M4.6 | 28 km NNE of Kuji, Japan | 2026-07-06 11:29 | 66.979 km |
| M4.6 | 91 km SE of Kumano, Japan | 2026-07-04 02:56 | 388.05 km |
| M6.1 | 136 km NNE of Hirara, Japan | 2026-07-03 04:04 | 10 km |
| M4.9 | 149 km NNE of Hirara, Japan | 2026-07-03 03:53 | 10 km |
| M5.1 | 60 km SE of Ōfunato, Japan | 2026-07-03 01:44 | 33.97 km |
Japan sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire where multiple tectonic plates collide, subduct, and slide past each other. The Pacific plate subducts beneath the North American plate at a rate of about 8 cm per year, generating frequent large earthquakes.
The 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake was the largest in Japan with a magnitude of 9.1, followed by a massive tsunami that caused widespread destruction along the northeastern coast.