Significant M5.6 AFTERSHOCK hit in the North Pacific Ocean 108km from Hachinohe (Japan) on Tuesday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 9th, 2025. Last updated December 10th, 2025.

A significant Magnitude 5.6 aftershock struck in the North Pacific Ocean 108 kilometer from Hachinohe, Japan in the morning of Tuesday December 9th, 2025. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 3.2 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 117 kilometers (72 mi) off the coast of Japan, 108 kilometer east-northeast of Hachinohe in Aomori. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 46 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Dec 9, 2025 08:59 (Tokyo Time) - Dec 8, 2025 23:59 Universal Time.
Location:	108 km ENE of Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan. Coordinates 40°49'39"N 142°42'22"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 351 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.032 .
Depth:	46 km (28 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 3.2 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 3.2 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.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 57,010 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 2.8 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Japan .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . Located 108 kilometer (67 mi) east-northeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Hachinohe (Aomori, Japan) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Hachinohe is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Sapporo is located 273 km to the north-northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Hachinohe is located 108 km to the west-southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Aomori is located 166 km to the west and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

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 IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

This is likely an aftershock

Approximately 10 hrs before this earthquake hit, a larger 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck 53 km (33 mi) west-northwest of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.6 earthquake as an aftershock.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 35 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 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 3 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 04:08 (). 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 us6000rtj4
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251208_0000418
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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