Under land 19 kilometer from Miyako in Japan, a significant M5.2 earthquake occurred in the early afternoon of Sunday January 11th, 2026.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Japan, 19 kilometer (12 mi) west-southwest of Miyako in Iwate. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 80 km.
| Date and Time: | Jan 11, 2026 13:15 (Tokyo Time) - Jan 11, 2026 04:15 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 19 km WSW of Miyako, Iwate, Japan. Coordinates 39°35'31"N 141°43'31"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 534 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.025 . |
| Depth: | 80 km (50 mi) An intermediate depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (19 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . Miyako in Iwate, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 19 kilometer (12 mi) west-southwest of Miyako.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Sendai is located 165 km to the south-southwest. Morioka is located 51 km to the west-northwest. Hachinohe is located 103 km to the north.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 19 km (12 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Miyako Iwate, Japan. |
| 24 km (15 mi) SE from epicenter |
Yamada Iwate, Japan. |
| 35 km (22 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Tōno Iwate, Japan. |
| 37 km (23 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Kamaishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 51 km (32 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Morioka Iwate, Japan. |
| 57 km (35 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Hanamaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 58 km (36 mi) S from epicenter |
Ōfunato Iwate, Japan. |
| 63 km (39 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kitakami Iwate, Japan. |
| 64 km (40 mi) W from epicenter |
Shizukuishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 68 km (42 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kanegasaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 72 km (45 mi) SW from epicenter |
Mizusawa Iwate, Japan. |
| 91 km (57 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ichinoseki Iwate, Japan. |
| 103 km (64 mi) N from epicenter |
Hachinohe Aomori, Japan. |
| 104 km (65 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hanawa Akita, Japan. |
| 105 km (65 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Yokote Akita, Japan. |
| 108 km (67 mi) W from epicenter |
Ōmagari Akita, Japan. |
| 115 km (71 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Yuzawa Akita, Japan. |
| 125 km (78 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ōdate Akita, Japan. |
| 125 km (78 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Misawa Aomori, Japan. |
| 127 km (79 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Wakuya Miyagi, Japan. |
| 130 km (81 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Kogota Miyagi, Japan. |
| 131 km (81 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Furukawa Miyagi, Japan. |
| 135 km (84 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Takanosu Akita, Japan. |
| 136 km (85 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Ishinomaki Miyagi, Japan. |
| 137 km (85 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Yamoto Miyagi, Japan. |
| 138 km (86 mi) W from epicenter |
Akita Akita, Japan. |
| 152 km (94 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kuroishi Aomori, Japan. |
| 152 km (94 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Tomiya Miyagi, Japan. |
| 154 km (96 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Tennō Akita, Japan. |
| 154 km (96 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Rifu Miyagi, Japan. |
| 154 km (96 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shinjō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 154 km (96 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hirosaki Aomori, Japan. |
| 154 km (96 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Shiogama Miyagi, Japan. |
| 160 km (99 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Aomori Aomori, Japan. |
| 160 km (99 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Noshiro Akita, Japan. |
| 165 km (103 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Sendai Miyagi, Japan. |
| 172 km (107 mi) SW from epicenter |
Higashine Yamagata, Japan. |
| 173 km (107 mi) NW from epicenter |
Goshogawara Aomori, Japan. |
| 178 km (111 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Sakata Yamagata, Japan. |
| 181 km (112 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tendō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 182 km (113 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Iwanuma Miyagi, Japan. |
| 185 km (115 mi) SW from epicenter |
Sagae Yamagata, Japan. |
| 189 km (117 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Watari Miyagi, Japan. |
| 191 km (119 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tsuruoka Yamagata, Japan. |
| 191 km (119 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yamagata Yamagata, Japan. |
| 194 km (121 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Mutsu Aomori, Japan. |
| 198 km (123 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Kakuda Miyagi, Japan. |
| 232 km (144 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Fukushima Fukushima, Japan. |
| 257 km (160 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Hakodate Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 270 km (168 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Kōriyama Fukushima, Japan. |
| 276 km (171 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shibata Niigata, Japan. |
| 292 km (181 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Iwaki Fukushima, Japan. |
Shaking reported by 2 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 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:
- Yamoto, Miyagi, Japan: 1 person.
- Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. At a distance of 15 km (9 mi) east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 5 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 3.1
This main shock was prefaced by 3 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 1 day before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.9 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.8 |
2 days earlier Jan 9, 2026 14:59 (Tokyo Time) | 99 km (61 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.5 |
2 days earlier Jan 9, 2026 19:25 (Tokyo Time) | 81 km (50 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.9 |
1 day earlier Jan 10, 2026 03:12 (Tokyo Time) | 75 km (46 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Jan 11, 2026 13:15 (Tokyo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
5 hrs later Jan 11, 2026 18:04 (Tokyo Time) | 15 km (9 mi) E 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.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
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 December 31st, 2025, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 115 km (71 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on December 8th, 2025.
In total, 115 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 month.
Tsunami very unlikely
While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always 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 on land near a coastal area (19 km from the sea). | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 80 km (50 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 11/01/26 13:48 (). 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 us7000rp08
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260111_0000063
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
