On Wednesday Morning a Significant M5.9 Earthquake struck in the East China Sea 159km from Naha (Japan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 20th, 2026.

In the East China Sea 159 kilometer from Naha, Japan, a significant Magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurred around noon of Wednesday May 20th, 2026. Roughly 1.4 million people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the East China Sea, 51 kilometers (32 mi) off the coast of Japan, 159 kilometer north-east of Naha in Okinawa. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 50 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 20, 2026 11:46 (Tokyo Time) - May 20, 2026 02:46 Universal Time.
Location:	159 km NE of Naha, Okinawa, Japan. Coordinates 27°25'38"N 128°32'38"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 41 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.048 .
Depth:	50 km (31 mi) A quite 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 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 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 2,680 people were exposed to level V. At this level, moderate shaking and very light damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 1.2 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
0	II	Very weak	None
1,193,000	III	Weak	Probably none
229,400	IV	Light	Likely none
2,680	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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Nago in Okinawa, Japan. Nago is located 106 kilometer (66 mi) north-east of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Nago is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (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

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
106 km (66 mi) SW from epicenter	Nago Okinawa, Japan.	IV Light
133 km (83 mi) SW from epicenter	Ishikawa Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
136 km (85 mi) SW from epicenter	Gushikawa Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
139 km (86 mi) NE from epicenter	Naze Kagoshima, Japan.	III Weak
139 km (86 mi) SW from epicenter	Yomitan Okinawa, Japan.	IV Light
139 km (86 mi) SW from epicenter	Katsuren-haebaru Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
142 km (88 mi) SW from epicenter	Okinawa Okinawa, Japan.	IV Light
146 km (91 mi) SW from epicenter	Chatan Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
151 km (94 mi) SW from epicenter	Ginowan Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
157 km (98 mi) SW from epicenter	Yonabaru Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
159 km (99 mi) SW from epicenter	Naha Okinawa, Japan.	IV Light
162 km (101 mi) SW from epicenter	Tomigusuku Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
169 km (105 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 16 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 16 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:

Chatan, Okinawa, Japan: 5 people.
Ishikawa, Okinawa, Japan: 4 people.
Ginowan, Okinawa, Japan: 2 people.
Okinawa, Okinawa, Japan: 2 people.
Yomitan, Okinawa, Japan: 1 person.
Nago, Okinawa, Japan: 1 person.
Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.

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).

This is the strongest earthquake in 3 years

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since May 1st, 2023, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 157 km (98 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on June 13th, 2020.

In total, 7 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 year.

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 5.9. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 50 km (31 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 20/05/26 04:38 (). 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.