On Tuesday Night a Significant M5.9 Earthquake struck near Hakodate in Japan.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 9th, 2026. Last updated April 1st, 2026.

In the night of Tuesday March 10th, 2026, a significant MAG-5.9 earthquake hit under land 49 kilometer from Hakodate in Japan. Roughly 5.4 million people may have felt this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Japan, 49 kilometer (30 mi) northwest of Hakodate in Hokkaido. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 144 km.

Date and Time:	Mar 10, 2026 00:45 (Tokyo Time) - Mar 9, 2026 15:45 Universal Time.
Location:	49 km NW of Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan. Coordinates 42°5'12"N 140°18'33"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 65 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.038 .
Depth:	144 km (89 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely Tsunami's are usually caused by MAG-6.5+ earthquakes, less than 100km shallow, and with an epicenter under sea. Neither of this seems to be the case. 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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 5.4 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 5.4 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 2,605,000 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 2.8 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Japan .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . Honchō in Hokkaido, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 38 kilometer (24 mi) northwest of Honchō. The intensity of shaking and damage in Honchō is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Sapporo is located 138 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Hakodate is located 49 km to the south-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Aomori is located 146 km to the south and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Risk of aftershocks?

We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.

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.

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 12th, 2025, when a 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit 247 km (154 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on December 8th, 2025.

In total, 14 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.9 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 9 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

It is very unlikely that this eartquake will cause any tsunami's. The reported magnitude is lower than the MAG-6.5 strength required to cause any earthquakes. In addition, this earthquake was not very shallow and appears to have occurred under land. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 01/04/26 02:08 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000s36m
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260309_0000326
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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