On Thursday Morning a Shallow M5.6 Earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean near Kushiro (Japan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 14th, 2026. Last updated January 16th, 2026.

In the North Pacific Ocean 98 kilometer from Kushiro, Japan, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurred in the morning of Thursday January 15th, 2026. Roughly 0.8 million people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 49 kilometers (30 mi) off the coast of Japan, 98 kilometer east-southeast of Kushiro in Hokkaido. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 12 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jan 15, 2026 07:13 (Tokyo Time) - Jan 14, 2026 22:13 Universal Time.
Location:	98 km ESE of Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan. Coordinates 42°43'46"N 145°31'38"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 16 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.078 .
Depth:	12 km (7 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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 0.8 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 0.8 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 262,500 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 530 thousand) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Japan , around 0.8 million people, with impact levels up to IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Shaking was experienced by inhabitants of Russia too.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
19,180	II	Very weak	None
526,800	III	Weak	Probably none
262,500	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	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 . Located 66 kilometer (41 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Nemuro (Hokkaido, Japan) is the nearest significant population center. Nemuro experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Kushiro is located 98 km to the west-northwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Asahikawa is located 281 km to the west-northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Obihiro is located 191 km to the west and experienced an intensity of III (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)
66 km (41 mi) N from epicenter	Nemuro Hokkaido, Japan.	IV Light
98 km (61 mi) WNW from epicenter	Kushiro Hokkaido, Japan.	IV Light
102 km (63 mi) NNW from epicenter	Nakashibetsu Hokkaido, Japan.	IV Light
108 km (67 mi) NNW from epicenter	Shibetsu Hokkaido, Japan.	IV Light
168 km (104 mi) NW from epicenter	Motomachi Hokkaido, Japan.	III Weak
176 km (109 mi) NW from epicenter	Abashiri Hokkaido, Japan.	III Weak
178 km (111 mi) NW from epicenter	Kitami Hokkaido, Japan.	III Weak
191 km (119 mi) W from epicenter	Obihiro Hokkaido, Japan.	III Weak
192 km (119 mi) W from epicenter	Otofuke Hokkaido, Japan.	III Weak
252 km (157 mi) NW from epicenter	Mombetsu Hokkaido, Japan.	II Weak
263 km (163 mi) W from epicenter	Shizunai-furukawachō Hokkaido, Japan.
265 km (165 mi) WNW from epicenter	Shimo-furano Hokkaido, Japan.
281 km (175 mi) WNW from epicenter	Asahikawa Hokkaido, Japan.
285 km (177 mi) WNW from epicenter	Ashibetsu Hokkaido, Japan.
300 km (186 mi) WNW from epicenter	Minamishibetsuchō Hokkaido, Japan.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. 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.

2 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 19 km (12 mi) north of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 20 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 3.9

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 5.6	Jan 15, 2026 07:13 (Tokyo Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.9	20 hrs later Jan 16, 2026 02:58 (Tokyo Time)	19 km (12 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.5	20 hrs later Jan 16, 2026 03:16 (Tokyo Time)	19 km (12 mi) N 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.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major 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 8th, 2025, when a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit 277 km (172 mi) further southwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 21 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 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

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 5.6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 12 km (7 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 16/01/26 11:48 (). 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.