A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in the Sea of Japan 55 kilometer from Kanazawa, Japan in the evening of Sunday December 14th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Sea of Japan, right off the coast of Japan (7 mi offshore), 55 kilometer north of Kanazawa in Ishikawa. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 29 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Dec 14, 2025 23:26 (Tokyo Time) - Dec 14, 2025 14:26 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 55 km north of Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. Coordinates 37°5'30"N 136°35'11"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 375 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.029 . |
| Depth: | 29 km (18 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . Hakui in Ishikawa, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 29 kilometer (18 mi) northwest of Hakui.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Nagoya is located 214 km to the south. Osaka is located 284 km to the south-southwest. Kanazawa is located 55 km to the south.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 29 km (18 mi) SE from epicenter |
Hakui Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 32 km (20 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Anamizu Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 34 km (21 mi) E from epicenter |
Nanao Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 44 km (27 mi) SE from epicenter |
Himimachi Toyama, Japan. |
| 49 km (30 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Tsubata Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 54 km (34 mi) SE from epicenter |
Takaoka Toyama, Japan. |
| 55 km (34 mi) S from epicenter |
Kanazawa Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 56 km (35 mi) SE from epicenter |
Nishishinminato Toyama, Japan. |
| 62 km (39 mi) S from epicenter |
Nonoichi Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 64 km (40 mi) S from epicenter |
Matsutō Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 65 km (40 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Fukumitsu Toyama, Japan. |
| 65 km (40 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Nanto-shi Toyama, Japan. |
| 71 km (44 mi) S from epicenter |
Tsurugi-asahimachi Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 71 km (44 mi) SE from epicenter |
Toyama Toyama, Japan. |
| 76 km (47 mi) SE from epicenter |
Yatsuomachi-higashikumisaka Toyama, Japan. |
| 78 km (48 mi) S from epicenter |
Komatsu Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 78 km (48 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Namerikawa Toyama, Japan. |
| 79 km (49 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Uozu Toyama, Japan. |
| 80 km (50 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Kurobe-shi Toyama, Japan. |
| 82 km (51 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Kamiichi Toyama, Japan. |
| 83 km (52 mi) E from epicenter |
Nyūzen Toyama, Japan. |
| 108 km (67 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Maruoka Fukui, Japan. |
| 119 km (74 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Fukui-shi Fukui, Japan. |
| 122 km (76 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Takayama Gifu, Japan. |
| 132 km (82 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Sabae Fukui, Japan. |
| 137 km (85 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Takefu Fukui, Japan. |
| 146 km (91 mi) E from epicenter |
Jōetsu Niigata, Japan. |
| 150 km (93 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Nagano Nagano, Japan. |
| 156 km (97 mi) SE from epicenter |
Matsumoto Nagano, Japan. |
| 165 km (103 mi) SE from epicenter |
Shiojiri Nagano, Japan. |
| 169 km (105 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Ueda Nagano, Japan. |
| 177 km (110 mi) E from epicenter |
Kashiwazaki Niigata, Japan. |
| 186 km (116 mi) S from epicenter |
Gifu-shi Gifu, Japan. |
| 188 km (117 mi) S from epicenter |
Kakamigahara Gifu, Japan. |
| 194 km (121 mi) S from epicenter |
Ōgaki Gifu, Japan. |
| 197 km (122 mi) S from epicenter |
Kōnan Aichi, Japan. |
| 200 km (124 mi) S from epicenter |
Ichinomiya Aichi, Japan. |
| 208 km (129 mi) S from epicenter |
Kasugai Aichi, Japan. |
| 214 km (133 mi) S from epicenter |
Nagoya Aichi, Japan. |
| 229 km (142 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Toyota Aichi, Japan. |
| 231 km (144 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Niigata Niigata, Japan. |
| 235 km (146 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Maebashi Gunma, Japan. |
| 236 km (147 mi) S from epicenter |
Yokkaichi Mie, Japan. |
| 238 km (148 mi) SE from epicenter |
Kōfu Yamanashi, Japan. |
| 241 km (150 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Ōtsu Shiga, Japan. |
| 242 km (150 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Kyoto Kyoto, Japan. |
| 244 km (152 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Okazaki Aichi, Japan. |
| 267 km (166 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Hirakata Ōsaka, Japan. |
| 275 km (171 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tottori Tottori, Japan. |
| 277 km (172 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Nara-shi Nara, Japan. |
| 284 km (176 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Osaka Ōsaka, Japan. |
| 285 km (177 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Hamamatsu Shizuoka, Japan. |
| 285 km (177 mi) SE from epicenter |
Shizuoka Shizuoka, Japan. |
| 287 km (178 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Nishinomiya-hama Hyōgo, Japan. |
| 291 km (181 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Kawagoe Saitama, Japan. |
| 292 km (181 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Hachiōji Tokyo, Japan. |
| 295 km (183 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Kobe Hyōgo, Japan. |
| 296 km (184 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Kitakata Fukushima, Japan. |
| 297 km (185 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Sakai Ōsaka, Japan. |
| 297 km (185 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Koga Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 299 km (186 mi) E from epicenter |
Utsunomiya Tochigi, Japan. |
Shaking reported by 3 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 3 people have reported shaking in 2 places 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:
- Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan: 2 people.
- Nanao, Ishikawa, Japan: 1 person.
2 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 5 hrs later 7 km (4 mi) south-east of this earthquake.
This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. A 3 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.0 |
2 days earlier Dec 12, 2025 15:40 (Tokyo Time) | 1.5 km (0.9 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Dec 14, 2025 23:26 (Tokyo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.2 |
11 mins later Dec 14, 2025 23:37 (Tokyo Time) | 1.5 km (0.9 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
5 hrs later Dec 15, 2025 04:03 (Tokyo Time) | 7 km (4 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
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
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 November 26th, 2024, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 25 km (15 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on January 1st, 2024.
In total, 22 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 6 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
| 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. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 29 km (18 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 15/12/25 00:28 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000rutf
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251214_0000215
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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