Shallow M6.7 Earthquake struck on Friday Morning in the North Pacific Ocean 114km from Hachinohe (Japan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 12th, 2025. Last updated January 21st, 2026.

In the North Pacific Ocean 114 kilometer from Hachinohe, Japan, a shallow and strong Magnitude 6.7 earthquake occurred around noon of Friday December 12th, 2025. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 124 kilometers (77 mi) off the coast of Japan, 114 kilometer east-northeast of Hachinohe in Aomori. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 19 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Dec 12, 2025 11:44 (Tokyo Time) - Dec 12, 2025 02:44 Universal Time.
Location:	114 km ENE of Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan. Coordinates 40°50'3"N 142°46'36"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.7 Detected by 13 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.032 .
Depth:	19 km (12 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential tsunami risk The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential tsunami risk

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. The US Geographic Survey organization has indicated a potential risk for tsunami's following this earthquake.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Minimal impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

One person injured in Hiranai and a tsunami with heights of 20 cm was observed at Erimo and at Hachinohe.

Based on scientific estimates by the 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 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 3 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 V, which corresponds with moderate shaking and very light damage. Roughly 187,000 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 2.5 million) live in an area exposed to level IV, where light shaking and likely 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 . Hachinohe in Aomori, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 114 kilometer (71 mi) east-northeast of Hachinohe. The intensity of shaking and damage in Hachinohe is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Sapporo is located 275 km to the north-northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Sendai is located 329 km to the south-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Hachinohe is located 114 km to the west-southwest and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely 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 V.

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 21 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 21 people have reported shaking in 9 places, all within 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:

• Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan: 4 people.
• Tokyo, Tokio, Japan: 4 people.
• Misawa, Aomori, Japan: 3 people.
• Sendai, Miyagi, Japan: 3 people.
• Iwanai, Hokkaido, Japan: 3 people.
• Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan: 1 person.
• Misato, Saitama, Japan: 1 person.
• Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan: 1 person.
• Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan: 1 person.

18 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 18 smaller aftershocks. A 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 37 mins later 24 km (15 mi) north-northeast of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 18 smaller foreshocks occurred. Roughly 1 day before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-5.7 was detected nearby this earthquake.

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.

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 are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since December 8th, 2025, when a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit 53 km (33 mi) further west-northwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 3 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.7 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 years.

Sources

Last updated 21/01/26 02:38 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000ruc4
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251212_0000053
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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