In the evening of Saturday December 20th, 2025, a significant MAG-5.3 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 74 kilometer from Nemuro, Japan.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 71 kilometers (44 mi) off the coast of Japan, 74 kilometer south-southeast of Nemuro in Hokkaido. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 40 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Dec 20, 2025 21:30 (Tokyo Time) - Dec 20, 2025 12:30 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 74 km SSE of Nemuro, Hokkaido, Japan. Coordinates 42°43'46"N 145°59'6"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 19 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.071 . |
| Depth: | 40 km (25 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 . Nemuro in Hokkaido, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 74 kilometer (46 mi) south-southeast of Nemuro.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Kushiro is located 134 km to the west. Obihiro is located 228 km to the west. Kitami is located 207 km to the northwest.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 74 km (46 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Nemuro Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 123 km (76 mi) NW from epicenter |
Nakashibetsu Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 124 km (77 mi) NW from epicenter |
Shibetsu Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 134 km (83 mi) W from epicenter |
Kushiro Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 196 km (122 mi) NW from epicenter |
Motomachi Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 200 km (124 mi) NW from epicenter |
Abashiri Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 207 km (129 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kitami Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 228 km (142 mi) W from epicenter |
Obihiro Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 229 km (142 mi) W from epicenter |
Otofuke Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 279 km (173 mi) NW from epicenter |
Mombetsu Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 300 km (186 mi) W from epicenter |
Shizunai-furukawachō Hokkaido, Japan. |
2 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. A 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 28 mins later 0.7 km (0.4 mi) south-southwest of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Dec 20, 2025 21:30 (Tokyo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 5.1 |
3 mins later Dec 20, 2025 21:33 (Tokyo Time) | 5 km (3 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.2 |
28 mins later Dec 20, 2025 21:58 (Tokyo Time) | 0.7 km (0.4 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
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 October 24th, 2025, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 33 km (21 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck on January 14th, 2016.
In total, 49 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 2 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 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 40 km (25 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 07/01/26 14:38 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000rw6m
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251220_0000164
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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