On Tuesday Afternoon a Shallow M5.5 Earthquake struck in the East China Sea 182km from Naha (Japan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 30th, 2025. Last updated January 7th, 2026.

In the East China Sea 182 kilometer from Naha, Japan, a shallow and significant MAG-5.5 earthquake occurred in the late afternoon of Tuesday December 30th, 2025. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 1.4 million people.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the East China Sea, 25 kilometers (15 mi) off the coast of Japan, 182 kilometer north-east of Naha in Okinawa. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Dec 30, 2025 17:12 (Tokyo Time) - Dec 30, 2025 08:12 Universal Time.
Location:	182 km NE of Naha, Okinawa, Japan. Coordinates 27°32'48"N 128°44'40"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 37 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.051 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong 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 1.4 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 1.4 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.

An estimated 930 people were exposed to level VI. At this level, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 1.4 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Japan .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
1,200	II	Very weak	None
1,385,000	III	Weak	Probably none
27,200	IV	Light	Likely none
13,390	V	Moderate	Very light
930	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Naze in Kagoshima, Japan. Naze is located 117 kilometer (73 mi) southwest of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Naze is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (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

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
117 km (73 mi) NE from epicenter	Naze Kagoshima, Japan.	III Weak
128 km (80 mi) SW from epicenter	Nago Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
155 km (96 mi) SW from epicenter	Ishikawa Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
158 km (98 mi) SSW from epicenter	Gushikawa Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
160 km (99 mi) SSW from epicenter	Katsuren-haebaru Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
161 km (100 mi) SW from epicenter	Yomitan Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
164 km (102 mi) SW from epicenter	Okinawa Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
168 km (104 mi) SW from epicenter	Chatan Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
173 km (107 mi) SW from epicenter	Ginowan Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
179 km (111 mi) SSW from epicenter	Yonabaru Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
182 km (113 mi) SW from epicenter	Naha Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
184 km (114 mi) SW from epicenter	Tomigusuku Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
191 km (119 mi) SW from epicenter	Itoman Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is V. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 8 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 8 people have reported shaking in 7 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:

Okinawa, Okinawa, Japan: 2 people.
Naha, Okinawa, Japan: 1 person.
Naze, Kagoshima, Japan: 1 person.
Ishikawa, Okinawa, Japan: 1 person.
Yomitan, Okinawa, Japan: 1 person.
Chatan, Okinawa, Japan: 1 person.
Tomigusuku, Okinawa, Japan: 1 person.

10 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 10 smaller aftershocks. A 4.1 magnitude earthquake hit 24 hrs later 18 km (11 mi) north-northwest of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.5	Dec 30, 2025 17:12 (Tokyo Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.1	4 mins later Dec 30, 2025 17:16 (Tokyo Time)	18 km (11 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.1	11 mins later Dec 30, 2025 17:23 (Tokyo Time)	8 km (5 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.4	20 mins later Dec 30, 2025 17:32 (Tokyo Time)	18 km (11 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.1	36 mins later Dec 30, 2025 17:48 (Tokyo Time)	18 km (11 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.6	11 hrs later Dec 31, 2025 04:03 (Tokyo Time)	18 km (11 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.1	24 hrs later Dec 31, 2025 16:43 (Tokyo Time)	18 km (11 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	1 day later Jan 1, 2026 00:16 (Tokyo Time)	8 km (5 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.9	1 day later Jan 1, 2026 00:42 (Tokyo Time)	18 km (11 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.7	2 days later Jan 2, 2026 02:32 (Tokyo Time)	8 km (5 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.7	3 days later Jan 2, 2026 08:43 (Tokyo Time)	18 km (11 mi) NNE 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 July 6th, 2025, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 218 km (136 mi) further north-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on June 13th, 2020.

In total, 36 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 07/01/26 08:18 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.