Recent Earthquakes in Japan — and What to Do if One Hits
Significant earthquakes from the Japan Meteorological Agency's official reports. Japan measures quakes by seismic intensity (shindo) — what the ground actually did where people stand — rather than magnitude alone; intensity 5 lower is where objects fall and travel starts being affected.
Earthquakes that reached JMA seismic intensity 5 lower or stronger anywhere in Japan, over the last seven days.
No significant earthquakes in the past seven days.
Response actions
If a strong quake hits while you're in Japan — the same drill locals grow up practising.
- During the shaking Drop low, get under a sturdy table or shield your head, and stay clear of windows and anything that can topple. Don't run outside while the ground is still moving.
- In your hotel room Open the door if you can — frames can jam shut — and take the stairs when you leave. Never use the elevator; if you're inside one, press every floor button and get out at the first stop.
- On the street Move away from buildings, block walls and vending machines — falling glass and roof tiles cause more injuries than the shaking itself.
- Near the coast If the shaking was long or strong, move to high ground straight away — don't wait for an official tsunami warning to start.
- Afterwards Expect aftershocks. Trains pause for safety checks and restart on their own schedule — follow staff instructions, and keep the official Safety tips app or NHK World open for updates in English.
Good to know
- Follow the official feed For live English updates after a quake — what happened, any tsunami advisories, and which trains are moving — check JNTO's @JapanSafeTravel account on X (Twitter).
- Quakes are routine here Japan records well over a thousand felt earthquakes a year, and its buildings are engineered for them — a jolt that feels dramatic to a visitor is usually an ordinary day for locals. Anything that reaches intensity 5 lower shows up on this page.
- Your phone will warn you Japan's Earthquake Early Warning blares a distinctive alarm on phones in the affected area — foreign phones on roaming included — seconds before strong shaking arrives. Treat it as your cue to drop and cover, not to wonder what the sound is.
- Trains stop, then recover Shinkansen and local trains halt automatically the moment strong shaking is detected and resume only after track inspection — minutes after a small quake, sometimes a day or more after a major one. Tickets and rail passes stay valid or refundable for cancelled services, so keep them and check your operator's English status page before heading to the station.
- Pack for a quick exit Keep your passport, some cash and a charged power bank in one spot overnight — if a hotel evacuates, you want one grab and no searching in the dark.
- Evacuation sites are everywhere Schools and parks double as signposted evacuation sites (hinanjo), and coastal towns mark tsunami routes and elevation on green signs. When in doubt, follow the locals — the system is well drilled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Japan records well over a thousand felt earthquakes a year, and the overwhelming majority are brief jolts locals barely pause for. Buildings are engineered to some of the strictest seismic codes in the world, which is why even strong quakes rarely injure anyone indoors. Only events reaching intensity 5 lower or stronger make this page.
It measures what the ground actually did at each location, on a scale of 0 to 7 — unlike magnitude, which describes the quake at its source. Intensity 4 rattles shelves; 5 lower is where objects start to fall and trains pause for inspection. One quake produces many intensities, strongest near the epicentre and fading with distance.
Drop low, get under something sturdy or shield your head, and stay clear of windows until the shaking stops — don't run outside mid-quake. In a hotel, take the stairs, never the elevator. Near the coast after long or strong shaking, move to high ground straight away rather than waiting for a tsunami warning.
Yes — the Earthquake Early Warning sounds a distinctive alarm on phones in the affected area, foreign phones on roaming included, seconds before strong shaking arrives. Treat it as your cue to drop and cover. For alerts in English, add the official Safety tips app before you travel.