Strong M6.9 Earthquake struck on Thursday Morning in the North Pacific Ocean near Hachinohe (Japan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on June 24th, 2026. Last updated June 25th, 2026.

In the North Pacific Ocean 56 kilometer from Hachinohe, Japan, a strong MAG-6.9 earthquake occurred in the morning of Thursday June 25th, 2026. Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth under sea have the potential to cause tsunami's.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 29 kilometers (18 mi) off the coast of Japan, 56 kilometer south-east of Hachinohe in Aomori. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 51 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jun 25, 2026 07:30 (Tokyo Time) - Jun 24, 2026 22:30 Universal Time.
Location:	56 km SE of Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan. Coordinates 40°17'28"N 142°5'53"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.9 Detected by 41 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.053 .
Depth:	51 km (32 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential Tsunami Risk Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth under sea have the potential to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential 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.

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. This earthquake checks all the likely tsunami risk factors: under sea, at a magnitude of MAG-6.5+ and at a shallow depth.

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.	This earthquake had a magnitude of 6.9. Earthquakes of this strength could trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 51 km (32 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

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 4.8 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 4.8 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 344,800 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 3.1 million). In their region, light shaking and likely 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
14,990	III	Weak	Probably none
3,059,000	IV	Light	Likely none
1,423,000	V	Moderate	Very light
344,800	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 Hachinohe in Aomori, Japan. Hachinohe is located 56 kilometer (35 mi) south-east of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Hachinohe is estimated to be around level VI on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (strong shaking, probably light damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Sapporo is located 315 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Sendai is located 249 km to the southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Hachinohe is located 56 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of VI (strong shaking, probably light damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
56 km (35 mi) NW from epicenter	Hachinohe Aomori, Japan.	VI Strong
73 km (45 mi) S from epicenter	Miyako Iwate, Japan.	V Moderate
74 km (46 mi) NW from epicenter	Misawa Aomori, Japan.	VI Strong
93 km (58 mi) S from epicenter	Yamada Iwate, Japan.	V Moderate
104 km (65 mi) SW from epicenter	Morioka Iwate, Japan.	V Moderate
112 km (70 mi) W from epicenter	Hanawa Akita, Japan.	V Moderate
114 km (71 mi) S from epicenter	Kamaishi Iwate, Japan.	IV Light
116 km (72 mi) SW from epicenter	Shizukuishi Iwate, Japan.	IV Light
119 km (74 mi) SW from epicenter	Tōno Iwate, Japan.	IV Light
129 km (80 mi) NW from epicenter	Aomori Aomori, Japan.	V Moderate
131 km (81 mi) SW from epicenter	Hanamaki Iwate, Japan.	IV Light
131 km (81 mi) W from epicenter	Ōdate Akita, Japan.	V Moderate
134 km (83 mi) NW from epicenter	Mutsu Aomori, Japan.	V Moderate
134 km (83 mi) W from epicenter	Kuroishi Aomori, Japan.	IV Light
136 km (85 mi) W from epicenter	Namioka Aomori, Japan.	V Moderate
139 km (86 mi) S from epicenter	Ōfunato Iwate, Japan.	V Moderate
140 km (87 mi) SW from epicenter	Kitakami Iwate, Japan.	IV Light
142 km (88 mi) W from epicenter	Hirosaki Aomori, Japan.	IV Light
147 km (91 mi) W from epicenter	Takanosu Akita, Japan.	IV Light
148 km (92 mi) SW from epicenter	Kanegasaki Iwate, Japan.	V Moderate
151 km (94 mi) W from epicenter	Goshogawara Aomori, Japan.	V Moderate
153 km (95 mi) SW from epicenter	Mizusawa Iwate, Japan.	IV Light
157 km (98 mi) W from epicenter	Shimokizukuri Aomori, Japan.	V Moderate
167 km (104 mi) SW from epicenter	Ōmagari Akita, Japan.	V Moderate
171 km (106 mi) SW from epicenter	Yokote Akita, Japan.	IV Light
174 km (108 mi) SW from epicenter	Ichinoseki Iwate, Japan.	IV Light
176 km (109 mi) W from epicenter	Noshiro Akita, Japan.	V Moderate
180 km (112 mi) W from epicenter	Akita Akita, Japan.	IV Light
185 km (115 mi) SW from epicenter	Yuzawa Akita, Japan.	IV Light
186 km (116 mi) W from epicenter	Tennō Akita, Japan.	V Moderate
201 km (125 mi) NW from epicenter	Hakodate Hokkaido, Japan.	IV Light
209 km (130 mi) NW from epicenter	Kamiiso Hokkaido, Japan.	IV Light
215 km (134 mi) SW from epicenter	Furukawa Miyagi, Japan.	IV Light
219 km (136 mi) S from epicenter	Ishinomaki Miyagi, Japan.	IV Light
235 km (146 mi) SW from epicenter	Tomiya Miyagi, Japan.	IV Light
238 km (148 mi) S from epicenter	Shiogama Miyagi, Japan.
244 km (152 mi) NW from epicenter	Muroran Hokkaido, Japan.
246 km (153 mi) SW from epicenter	Sakata Yamagata, Japan.	IV Light
249 km (155 mi) SW from epicenter	Sendai Miyagi, Japan.
262 km (163 mi) SW from epicenter	Tsuruoka Yamagata, Japan.	IV Light
262 km (163 mi) SW from epicenter	Tendō Yamagata, Japan.
264 km (164 mi) N from epicenter	Tomakomai Hokkaido, Japan.
273 km (170 mi) SW from epicenter	Yamagata Yamagata, Japan.
284 km (176 mi) N from epicenter	Chitose Hokkaido, Japan.
306 km (190 mi) N from epicenter	Obihiro Hokkaido, Japan.
315 km (196 mi) N from epicenter	Sapporo Hokkaido, Japan.
316 km (196 mi) SW from epicenter	Fukushima Fukushima, Japan.
354 km (220 mi) SW from epicenter	Kōriyama Fukushima, Japan.
376 km (234 mi) S from epicenter	Iwaki Fukushima, Japan.
378 km (235 mi) SW from epicenter	Niigata Niigata, Japan.
388 km (241 mi) N from epicenter	Asahikawa Hokkaido, Japan.
457 km (284 mi) SW from epicenter	Utsunomiya Tochigi, Japan.
461 km (286 mi) S from epicenter	Mito Ibaraki, Japan.
495 km (308 mi) SW from epicenter	Kiryū Gunma, Japan.

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 VI.

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 90 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 90 people have reported shaking in 40 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:

Tokyo, Tokio, Japan: 18 people.
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan: 8 people.
Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan: 8 people.
Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan: 7 people.
Misawa, Aomori, Japan: 4 people.
Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan: 4 people.
Urayasu, Chiba, Japan: 3 people.
Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan: 2 people.
Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan: 2 people.
Chiba, Chiba, Japan: 2 people.

10 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 10 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 22 km (14 mi) north of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 13 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.8

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 6.9	Jun 25, 2026 07:30 (Tokyo Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.6	36 mins later Jun 25, 2026 08:06 (Tokyo Time)	20 km (12 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.3	42 mins later Jun 25, 2026 08:12 (Tokyo Time)	9 km (5 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	52 mins later Jun 25, 2026 08:22 (Tokyo Time)	9 km (5 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.9	2 hrs later Jun 25, 2026 09:08 (Tokyo Time)	20 km (12 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	2 hrs later Jun 25, 2026 09:33 (Tokyo Time)	26 km (16 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.0	3 hrs later Jun 25, 2026 10:11 (Tokyo Time)	17 km (11 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.6	3 hrs later Jun 25, 2026 10:48 (Tokyo Time)	20 km (12 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	12 hrs later Jun 25, 2026 19:21 (Tokyo Time)	66 km (41 mi) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.8	13 hrs later Jun 25, 2026 20:58 (Tokyo Time)	22 km (14 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.7	18 hrs later Jun 26, 2026 01:11 (Tokyo Time)	24 km (15 mi) NW from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since April 20th, 2026, when a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit 82 km (51 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on December 8th, 2025.

In total, 6 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.9 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 2 years.

Sources

Last updated 25/06/26 17:28 (). 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.