Earthquakes in Japan since 1950 The strongest earthquake in Japan happened on 03/11/2011 in the Honshu region with a magnitude of 9.1 on the Richter scale. The shifting of tectonic plates in a depth of 24 km resulted in 1475 deaths. The earthquake also triggered a tsunami, leading to further victims and destruction. Date Region Depth Magnitude Deaths Total damage 08/08/2024 Miyazaki 25 km 7.1 0 01/01/2024 Honshu (Ishikawa) 10 km 7.5 299 10/08/2023 Izu Islands 10 km 4.9 0 10/05/2023 Izu Islands 10 km 6.1 0 05/05/2023 Honshu (Ishikawa, Toyama) 8 km 6.2 1 03/16/2022 Off Fukushima 63 km 7.3 4 03/20/2021 Honshu Island 43 km 7.0 0 02/13/2021 Off Fukushima 49 km 7.1 1 06/18/2019 Niigata Prefecture 12 km 6.4 0 09/05/2018 Hokkaido 35 km 6.6 44 06/17/2018 Osaka 10 km 5.5 5 05/06/2018 Honshu (S. Of) 10 km 5.4 0 04/08/2018 Shimane Prefecture 10 km 5.7 0 11/21/2016 Near E Coast Honshu 27 km 6.9 0 10/21/2016 Kurayoshi 39 km 6.2 0 08/20/2016 Off East Coast Honshu 26 km 6.0 0 04/15/2016 Kumamoto, Oita 22 km 7.0 50 11/13/2015 Kyusyu Island 3 km 6.7 0 05/30/2015 Bonin Islands [chichijima Island] 11 km 7.8 0 05/02/2015 Honshu (S. Of) 39 km 5.7 0 02/16/2015 Honshu 27 km 6.7 0 11/22/2014 Nagano (Hakuba, Otari) 42 km 6.2 0 07/11/2014 Sanriku 22 km 6.5 0 03/13/2014 Southwestern 17 km 6.3 0 10/25/2013 Honshu (E Coast) 7.1 0 04/17/2013 Miyakejima 33 km 5.8 0 04/12/2013 Japan 17 km 5.8 0 12/07/2012 Honshu (Miyagi Prefecture) 23 km 7.2 0 03/14/2012 Hokkaido 35 km 6.9 0 07/10/2011 Honshu (E Coast) 10 km 7.0 0 04/11/2011 Honshu 12 km 6.6 7 04/07/2011 Near E Coast Honshu 43 km 7.1 3 03/11/2011 Off East Coast Honshu 50 km 7.6 0 03/11/2011 Near E Coast Honshu 40 km 7.9 0 03/11/2011 Honshu 24 km 9.1 1475 03/09/2011 Honshu (E Coast) 20 km 7.5 0 12/21/2010 Bonin Islands 40 km 7.4 0 02/26/2010 Tori Shima, Okinawa 26 km 7.0 0 12/17/2009 Honshu (Ito) 36 km 4.9 0 08/10/2009 Honshu (S Coast) 9 km 6.4 1 09/11/2008 Hokkaido 50 km 6.8 0 07/23/2008 Honshu 19 km 6.8 1 07/19/2008 Off East Coast Of Honshu Island 28 km 6.9 0 06/13/2008 Honshu (Tokyo) 45 km 6.9 13 05/07/2008 Honshu (E Coast) 20 km 6.8 0 09/28/2007 Volcano Islands 57 km 7.5 0 07/16/2007 Honshu (W Coast) 22 km 6.6 9 04/15/2007 Honshu 30 km 4.6 0 03/25/2007 Honshu (W Coast) 57 km 6.7 1 06/11/2006 Kyushu 26 km 6.3 0 11/14/2005 East Coast Honshu 51 km 7.0 0 08/16/2005 East Coast Honshu 28 km 7.2 0 07/23/2005 Honshu (Tokyo) 56 km 5.9 0 03/20/2005 Kyushu (Fukuoka, Genkai) 41 km 6.6 1 01/19/2005 East Coast Honshu 36 km 6.6 0 12/14/2004 Hokkaido (Obiro, Haboro, Tomamae) 10 km 5.8 0 12/06/2004 Hokkaido (Kushiro) 11 km 6.8 0 11/28/2004 Hokkaido (Bekkai, Kushiro, Nemouro) 14 km 7.0 0 11/08/2004 Honshu (Niigata Prefecture) 58 km 5.5 0 10/27/2004 Honshu (Niigata Prefecture) 50 km 5.9 0 10/23/2004 Honshu (Niigata Prefecture) 6.6 40 09/05/2004 Honshu (W Coast: Kyoto) 7 km 7.2 0 09/05/2004 Honshu (W Coast: Kyoto, Wakayama, Sakai) 18 km 7.4 0 10/31/2003 East Coast Honshu 28 km 7.0 0 10/15/2003 Near S Coast Honshu (Atsugi) 35 km 5.2 0 09/25/2003 Hokkaido 6 km 8.3 0 09/20/2003 Honshu (Tokyo) 50 km 5.7 0 07/25/2003 Honshu (Miyagi, Iwate) 7 km 5.5 0 05/26/2003 Honshu (Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata, Akita) 33 km 7.0 0 03/26/2002 Ryukyu Islands 48 km 6.4 0 03/24/2001 Hiroshima, Okayama, Honshu, Kagama 53 km 6.8 2 10/06/2000 Honshu (W: Okayama, Tottori) 19 km 6.7 0 07/30/2000 Honshu 45 km 6.5 0 07/15/2000 Near S Coast Honshu (Nii-Jima) 30 km 6.1 0 07/01/2000 Near S Coast Honshu (Kozu-Shima) 55 km 6.1 1 03/28/2000 Volcano Islands 22 km 7.6 0 09/30/1997 Honshu 24 km 6.2 0 03/26/1997 Kyushu, Kagoshima 47 km 6.1 0 12/02/1996 Kyushu 59 km 6.7 0 10/19/1996 Kyushu Island 40 km 6.7 0 10/18/1996 Kyushu Island 20 km 6.6 0 09/04/1996 Honshu Island, Japan 1 km 5.7 0 10/19/1995 Ryuku Is. 36 km 6.8 0 10/18/1995 Ryuku Is. 26 km 7.1 0 04/01/1995 Niigata Prefecture, Sado 33 km 5.4 0 01/16/1995 Sw Honshu (Kobe, Awaji-Shima, Nishinomiya) 52 km 6.9 5502 12/28/1994 Honshu 23 km 7.8 3 04/08/1994 Off East Coast Of Honshu Island 40 km 6.4 0 08/07/1993 Japan 41 km 6.3 0 07/12/1993 Hokkaido; Russia (Southeast; South Korea) 11 km 7.7 23 02/07/1993 Honshu (Ishikawa, Toyama, Niigata) 42 km 6.3 0 01/15/1993 Hokkadio, Kushiro, Hachinohe, Honshu 5 km 7.6 2 08/11/1992 Honshu 55 km 6.3 0 07/18/1992 Honshu Island 58 km 7.0 0 02/01/1992 Honshu (Tokyo) 4 km 5.6 0 09/23/1990 W. Of Bonin Islands, Izu Is. 7 km 6.5 0 02/20/1990 Near S. Coast Of Honshu 39 km 6.4 0 11/01/1989 Honshu (N, Aomori, Misawa) 34 km 7.4 0 10/29/1989 N. Honshu Island 38 km 6.6 0 07/09/1989 Honshu (Ito, Ajiro) 9 km 5.0 0 12/17/1987 Honshu (Chiba Perfecture, Tokyo) 19 km 6.0 2 03/24/1987 Honshu Island 47 km 5.1 0 03/18/1987 Kyushu (Miyazaki, Naze) 30 km 6.7 2 02/06/1987 East Coast Honshu 17 km 6.3 0 09/18/1984 Honshu Island 44 km 6.9 0 09/13/1984 Honshu (Central: Mt Ontake) 49 km 6.1 29 08/06/1984 Kyushu (Nobeoka) 38 km 6.7 20 06/13/1984 Tori Shima, Okinawa 25 km 5.5 0 10/30/1983 Tottori, Yonango 57 km 5.2 0 10/03/1983 Miyakejima, Oshima 35 km 6.0 0 08/08/1983 Honshu (S Coast) 57 km 5.3 1 06/21/1983 N. Honshu Island 27 km 6.9 0 06/09/1983 Noshiro, Japan 3 km 5.9 0 05/26/1983 Honshu (Akita) 59 km 7.7 4 12/28/1982 S. Of Honshu Island 42 km 6.1 0 07/23/1982 Ibaraki, Japan 53 km 6.8 0 03/21/1982 Hokkaido, Urakawa, Hiroo 7 km 6.7 110 01/18/1981 E. Honshu Island 24 km 6.9 0 09/24/1980 Tokyo, Yokohama 24 km 6.0 2 06/29/1980 Honshu (S Coast) 5 km 6.2 0 02/20/1979 Iwate, Japan 32 km 6.4 0 06/12/1978 Sanriku 26 km 7.7 28 06/03/1978 South Honshu (Hiroshima) 52 km 4.9 0 02/20/1978 Ofunato, Tohoku 58 km 6.1 0 01/14/1978 Tokkaido, Oshima 39 km 6.6 25 04/20/1975 Oita, Arosan 50 km 6.1 0 01/23/1975 Arosan 14 km 5.8 0 08/03/1974 Honshu (Kakiota, Mito, Tokyo) 34 km 5.7 2 05/08/1974 Nakagi 25 km 6.5 30 06/17/1973 Hokkaido Island 2 km 7.7 0 12/04/1972 South Of Honshu, Hachijojima 12 km 7.4 0 02/29/1972 South Of Honshu (Hachijojima, Tokyo) 59 km 7.2 0 08/02/1971 Japan Trench 56 km 7.3 0 07/25/1970 Seikaido, Japan 10 km 7.0 0 04/21/1969 Ryukyu Islands 0.0 0 01/19/1969 Hokkaido 4 km 7.6 0 10/07/1968 Bonin Islands 20 km 7.5 0 08/05/1968 Seikaido-Nankaido 0.0 0 06/12/1968 Sanriku 50 km 7.2 0 05/16/1968 Off East Coast Of Honshu Island 55 km 8.2 52 05/16/1968 Off Coast Of Honshu Island 1 km 7.5 0 04/01/1968 Kyushu, Shikoku 4 km 7.5 1 02/21/1968 Kyushu 6.3 3 04/19/1965 Aichi, Shizouka Prefectures 58 km 6.0 1 12/11/1964 Nw. Honshu Island, Japan 0.0 0 06/16/1964 Honshu (W Coast) 44 km 7.5 26 05/07/1964 Nw. Honshu Island 14 km 6.9 0 05/07/1964 Nw. Honshu Island 6.6 0 05/21/1962 Off Coast Of Honshu Island 5.7 0 04/30/1962 Honshu (Sendai) 30 km 6.8 1 04/23/1962 Se. Hokkaido Island, Japan 0.0 0 04/12/1962 Sanriku 43 km 7.2 0 11/15/1961 Se. Hokkaido Island 0.0 0 08/19/1961 Honshu (W Coast) 7.3 10 08/11/1961 Se. Hokkaido Island 0.0 0 07/18/1961 Ryukyu Islands 0.0 0 02/26/1961 Miyazaki 48 km 7.3 2 01/16/1961 Kashima 0.0 0 01/16/1961 Kashima 0.0 0 01/16/1961 Kashima 0.0 0 07/29/1960 Sanriku 45 km 6.7 0 03/23/1960 Sanriku 6.7 0 03/20/1960 Sanriku 30 km 7.5 0 10/26/1959 Sanriku, Japan 0.0 0 01/22/1959 Sanriku, Japan 0.0 0 03/11/1958 Ryukyu Islands 56 km 7.5 0 08/12/1956 Izu Peninsula 37 km 6.5 0 03/05/1956 Ne. Hokkaido Island, Japan 0.0 0 11/18/1954 Honshu (Miyagi Prefecture) 55 km 6.5 0 11/25/1953 Kashima 7.4 1 03/09/1952 Hokkaido 7.1 0 03/04/1952 Hokkaido 41 km 8.1 33