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M5.9 Earthquake near Near East Coast of Honshu, Japan

UTC time: 2025-12-08 18:56:28 UTC Local time: —

Earthquake newsQuakeMap24

Archive record · original publication time was not recorded

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Magnitude

M5.9

Depth: 22.0 km
Source: GFZ

Near East Coast of Honshu, Japan

Map

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.9 earthquake was recorded near Near East Coast of Honshu, Japan on December 8, 2025 at 18:56 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 22 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by GFZ.

Details

bb9411eb3ed9e52f2874f9a81570800101aba11a

Magnitude

M5.9

Depth

22.0 km

UTC time

2025-12-08 18:56:28 UTC

Local time

—

Country

—

Source

gfz

Coordinates

40.97000, 142.99000

Temperature

4.7°C

Depth profile

Shallow

22 km

Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation

Kuji134.9 kmSW34'418

Hachinohe136.0 kmW239'046

Sapporo269.6 kmNW1'973'832

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

Osorezan

Distance: 160 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1787 ·Japan
Esan

Distance: 178 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 617 m ·Last eruption: 1874 ·Japan
Hakkodasan

Distance: 181 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'584 m ·Last eruption: 1550 ·Japan
Towada

Distance: 185 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 1'011 m ·Last eruption: 915 ·Japan
Iwatesan Activity reported

Distance: 209 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'038 m ·Last eruption: 1919 ·Japan
Hachimantai

Distance: 213 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'613 m ·Last eruption: -5350 ·Japan

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours16

First 24 hours27

First 72 hours46

Strongest subsequent eventM7.0

M5.52025-12-08 18:56:29 UTC31.9 kmOff east coast of Honshu, Japan [Sea: Japan] M5.82025-12-08 18:56:30 UTC7.3 km124 km S of Honchō, Japan M5.92025-12-08 18:56:30 UTC9.9 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION M6.12025-12-08 21:52:38 UTC56.7 kmOff East Coast of Honshu, Japan M7.02025-12-08 21:52:39 UTC13.4 km M6.62025-12-08 21:52:40 UTC10.1 km125 km S of Honchō, Japan M6.52025-12-08 21:52:42 UTC14.9 kmEvent of magnitude 6.5, near of Sapporo (Monde) M6.72025-12-08 21:52:42 UTC11.2 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION M5.32025-12-08 22:07:14 UTC22.3 kmEvent of magnitude 5.3, near of Sapporo (Monde) M5.12025-12-08 22:07:17 UTC8.0 km122 km S of Honchō, Japan M5.12025-12-08 22:07:19 UTC11.4 kmHokkaido, Japan Region M5.32025-12-08 23:59:02 UTC20.8 kmNear East Coast of Honshu, Japan

No unambiguous area assignment

Context for this earthquake

This event has no unambiguous country assignment in the analysed catalogue. It is therefore not assigned to a regional profile.

Earthquake overview

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#12

Earlier events M≥4138

Earlier events M≥573

Compared since2025-01-05

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M7.72025-12-08 14:15:13 UTC68.1 km M7.62025-12-08 14:15:12 UTC71.1 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION M7.62025-12-08 14:15:10 UTC71.7 km74 km ENE of Misawa, Japan M7.62025-12-08 14:15:09 UTC58.0 km84 km ENE of Misawa, Japan M7.52025-12-08 14:15:10 UTC69.0 kmHokkaido, Japan Region

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)

458

Country (24h)

—

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