Shallow M5.6 AFTERSHOCK struck on Tuesday Afternoon near Honmachi in Japan.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 28th, 2026.

Under land 17 kilometer from Honmachi in Japan, a shallow and significant M5.6 aftershock occurred in the late afternoon of Tuesday July 28th, 2026. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. Around 14 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Japan, 17 kilometer (11 mi) south of Honmachi in Kumamoto. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jul 28, 2026 17:08 (Tokyo Time) - Jul 28, 2026 08:08 Universal Time.
Location:	17 km south of Honmachi, Kumamoto, Japan. Coordinates 32°21'10"N 130°35'12"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 29 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.058 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (7 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to 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 14 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 14 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.

Strong shaking and probably light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 37,670 people. At VI, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Honmachi in Kumamoto, Japan. Honmachi is located 17 kilometer (11 mi) south of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Honmachi is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Kumamoto is located 51 km to the north and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Fukuoka is located 140 km to the north and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Kagoshima is located 87 km to the south and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no 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

Earthquake Intensity Map

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

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake is likely an aftershock of the MAG-6.8 earthquake that struck 41 mins earlier. That main earthquake hit 39 km (24 mi) north of the epicenter of this MAG-5.6 aftershock.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 13 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 9 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

Sources

Last updated 28/07/26 18:38 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000tgbm
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260728_0000142
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: