In the morning of Friday November 21st, 2025, a significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit in the East China Sea 104 kilometer from Hirara, Japan.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the East China Sea, 97 kilometers (60 mi) off the coast of Japan, 104 kilometer north-northwest of Hirara in Okinawa. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 125 km.
| Date and Time: | Nov 21, 2025 08:36 (Tokyo Time) - Nov 20, 2025 23:36 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 104 km NNW of Hirara, Okinawa, Japan. Coordinates 25°37'49"N 124°48'45"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 25 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.062 . |
| Depth: | 125 km (78 mi) An intermediate depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 at depths deeper than 100km are very unlikely to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . Hirara in Okinawa, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 104 kilometer (65 mi) north-northwest of Hirara.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 104 km (65 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Hirara Okinawa, Japan. |
| 157 km (98 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Ishigaki Okinawa, Japan. |
| 291 km (181 mi) E from epicenter |
Itoman Okinawa, Japan. |
| 294 km (183 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Naha Okinawa, Japan. |
| 294 km (183 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Tomigusuku Okinawa, Japan. |
Risk of aftershocks?
We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 7th, 2025, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 218 km (135 mi) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on November 10th, 2021.
In total, 57 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 months.
Tsunami very unlikely
For a serious tsunami to occur, earthquakes usually need to have a magnitude of at least 6.5 and occur at a shallow depth of maximum 100km. Neither are the case with this earthquake. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 125 km (78 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 14/12/25 00:38 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000rpgr
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251120_0000373
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
