Shallow M5.4 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Evening near Kumamoto in Japan.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 25th, 2025. Last updated December 14th, 2025.

A shallow and significant MAG-5.4 earthquake struck under land 48 kilometer from Kumamoto in Japan in the evening of Tuesday November 25th, 2025. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. Around 17 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Japan, 48 kilometer (30 mi) north-east of Kumamoto. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Nov 25, 2025 18:01 (Tokyo Time) - Nov 25, 2025 09:01 Universal Time.
Location:	48 km NE of Kumamoto, Japan. Coordinates 33°3'15"N 131°6'24"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 29 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.058 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 100% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 17 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 17 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VII, which corresponds with very strong shaking and likely moderate damage. Roughly 20 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 11 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 17 million people were exposed to shaking in Japan , with level VII (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage) as the highest recorded.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Aso in Kumamoto, Japan. Aso is located 13 kilometer (8 mi) north of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Aso is estimated to be around level VI on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (strong shaking, probably light damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Fukuoka is located 88 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Kumamoto is located 48 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Busan is located 297 km to the northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VII.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 14 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 14 people have reported shaking in 12 places in 2 countries (Japan, Korea (South)).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Beppu, Ōita, Japan: 2 people.
• Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan: 2 people.
• Aso, Kumamoto, Japan: 1 person.
• Saiki, Ōita, Japan: 1 person.
• Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, Japan: 1 person.
• Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan: 1 person.
• Okayama, Okayama, Japan: 1 person.
• Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Japan: 1 person.
• Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan: 1 person.
• Kimhae, Kyŏngsangnam, Korea (South): 1 person.

13 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 13 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 9 km (6 mi) west of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 4 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.3

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

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 16th, 2025, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 133 km (83 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on August 8th, 2024.

In total, 29 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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 4 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 14/12/25 11:08 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000rdmh
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251125_0000136
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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