Under land 18 kilometer from Matsumoto in Japan, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred in the afternoon of Thursday January 15th, 2026. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Japan, 18 kilometer (11 mi) west-southwest of Matsumoto in Nagano. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 7 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jan 15, 2026 14:48 (Tokyo Time) - Jan 15, 2026 05:48 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 18 km WSW of Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan. Coordinates 36°9'20"N 137°47'38"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 22 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 . |
| Depth: | 7 km (4 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude 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 . Shiojiri in Nagano, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 17 kilometer (11 mi) west-northwest of Shiojiri.
Major cities near this earthquake: Tokyo is located 179 km to the east-southeast. Yokohama is located 186 km to the east-southeast. Nagoya is located 135 km to the southwest.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 17 km (11 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Shiojiri Nagano, Japan. |
| 18 km (11 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Matsumoto Nagano, Japan. |
| 19 km (12 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Toyoshina Nagano, Japan. |
| 22 km (14 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Hotaka Nagano, Japan. |
| 25 km (16 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Okaya Nagano, Japan. |
| 26 km (16 mi) SE from epicenter |
Tatsuno Nagano, Japan. |
| 32 km (20 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Suwa Nagano, Japan. |
| 37 km (23 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Chino Nagano, Japan. |
| 39 km (24 mi) N from epicenter |
Ōmachi Nagano, Japan. |
| 39 km (24 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Ina Nagano, Japan. |
| 47 km (29 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Kamimaruko Nagano, Japan. |
| 49 km (30 mi) NE from epicenter |
Sakaki Nagano, Japan. |
| 49 km (30 mi) W from epicenter |
Takayama Gifu, Japan. |
| 52 km (32 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Ueda Nagano, Japan. |
| 60 km (37 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Komoro Nagano, Japan. |
| 62 km (39 mi) E from epicenter |
Saku Nagano, Japan. |
| 64 km (40 mi) SW from epicenter |
Gero Gifu, Japan. |
| 65 km (40 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Hokuto Yamanashi, Japan. |
| 65 km (40 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Nagano Nagano, Japan. |
| 71 km (44 mi) S from epicenter |
Iida Nagano, Japan. |
| 72 km (45 mi) NE from epicenter |
Suzaka Nagano, Japan. |
| 72 km (45 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Kamiichi Toyama, Japan. |
| 77 km (48 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Namerikawa Toyama, Japan. |
| 78 km (48 mi) SE from epicenter |
Nirasaki Yamanashi, Japan. |
| 79 km (49 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Nakatsugawa Gifu, Japan. |
| 80 km (50 mi) NW from epicenter |
Toyama Toyama, Japan. |
| 80 km (50 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Uozu Toyama, Japan. |
| 84 km (52 mi) NE from epicenter |
Nakano Nagano, Japan. |
| 85 km (53 mi) SE from epicenter |
Ryūō Yamanashi, Japan. |
| 88 km (55 mi) SE from epicenter |
Kōfu Yamanashi, Japan. |
| 88 km (55 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Kurobe-shi Toyama, Japan. |
| 88 km (55 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Gujō Gifu, Japan. |
| 91 km (57 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Nanto-shi Toyama, Japan. |
| 96 km (60 mi) NW from epicenter |
Takaoka Toyama, Japan. |
| 100 km (62 mi) E from epicenter |
Tomioka Gunma, Japan. |
| 111 km (69 mi) E from epicenter |
Takasaki Gunma, Japan. |
| 116 km (72 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Kanazawa Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 117 km (73 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Jōetsu Niigata, Japan. |
| 119 km (74 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Maebashi Gunma, Japan. |
| 124 km (77 mi) SW from epicenter |
Gifu-shi Gifu, Japan. |
| 125 km (78 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kasugai Aichi, Japan. |
| 131 km (81 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ichinomiya Aichi, Japan. |
| 133 km (83 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Toyota Aichi, Japan. |
| 135 km (84 mi) SW from epicenter |
Nagoya Aichi, Japan. |
| 141 km (88 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Shizuoka Shizuoka, Japan. |
| 142 km (88 mi) W from epicenter |
Fukui-shi Fukui, Japan. |
| 146 km (91 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Okazaki Aichi, Japan. |
| 149 km (93 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Hachiōji Tokyo, Japan. |
| 162 km (101 mi) S from epicenter |
Hamamatsu Shizuoka, Japan. |
| 170 km (106 mi) E from epicenter |
Saitama Saitama, Japan. |
| 170 km (106 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yokkaichi Mie, Japan. |
| 172 km (107 mi) SW from epicenter |
Hikone Shiga, Japan. |
| 173 km (107 mi) E from epicenter |
Koga Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 179 km (111 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Tokyo Tokyo, Japan. |
| 186 km (116 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan. |
| 187 km (116 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan. |
| 193 km (120 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Utsunomiya Tochigi, Japan. |
| 194 km (121 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Matsudo Chiba, Japan. |
| 223 km (139 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kyoto Kyoto, Japan. |
| 243 km (151 mi) SW from epicenter |
Nara-shi Nara, Japan. |
| 264 km (164 mi) SW from epicenter |
Osaka Ōsaka, Japan. |
| 269 km (167 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Kōriyama Fukushima, Japan. |
| 284 km (176 mi) NE from epicenter |
Yonezawa Yamagata, Japan. |
| 284 km (176 mi) SW from epicenter |
Hashimoto Wakayama, Japan. |
| 287 km (178 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kobe Hyōgo, 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 3 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:
- Takayama, Gifu, Japan: 1 person.
- Nagano, Nagano, Japan: 1 person.
- Okazaki, Aichi, Japan: 1 person.
2 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 2 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 39 km (24 mi) west-southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 3 days later. It measured a magnitude of 3.7
In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 8 mins earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.7
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.7 |
8 mins earlier Jan 15, 2026 14:40 (Tokyo Time) | 22 km (13 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.3 |
5 mins earlier Jan 15, 2026 14:43 (Tokyo Time) | 32 km (20 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Jan 15, 2026 14:48 (Tokyo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
9 mins later Jan 15, 2026 14:57 (Tokyo Time) | 32 km (20 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
3 days later Jan 18, 2026 03:46 (Tokyo Time) | 39 km (24 mi) WSW 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 November 26th, 2024, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 156 km (97 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on January 1st, 2024.
In total, 48 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 3 months.
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 | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
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 7 km (4 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 27/01/26 07:08 (). 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 us7000rps1
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260115_0000069
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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