Significant M5.8 AFTERSHOCK struck on Tuesday Night in the North Pacific Ocean 143km from Hachinohe (Japan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 8th, 2025. Last updated December 10th, 2025.

In the North Pacific Ocean 143 kilometer from Hachinohe, Japan, a significant MAG-5.8 aftershock occurred deep in the night of Tuesday December 9th, 2025. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 2.3 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 104 kilometers (64 mi) off the coast of Japan, 143 kilometer east-northeast of Hachinohe in Aomori. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 34 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Dec 9, 2025 03:56 (Tokyo Time) - Dec 8, 2025 18:56 Universal Time.
Location:	143 km ENE of Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan. Coordinates 41°0'45"N 143°3'21"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 754 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.022 .
Depth:	34 km (21 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually 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 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 2.3 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 2.3 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 65,040 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 2.2 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Japan .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . Hachinohe in Aomori, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 143 kilometer (89 mi) east-northeast of Hachinohe. Hachinohe experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Sapporo is located 268 km to the north-northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Sendai is located 358 km to the south-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Hachinohe is located 143 km to the west-southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

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 graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is IV.

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 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Japan.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan: 1 person.

This is likely an aftershock

Approximately 5 hrs before this earthquake hit, a larger 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck 77 km (48 mi) west of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.8 earthquake as an aftershock.

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. In total, 26 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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 5 months.

Low tsunami risk

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 10/12/25 04:48 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000rtgd
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251208_0000332
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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