Shallow M5.4 AFTERSHOCK struck on Wednesday Evening near Honmachi in Japan.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 29th, 2026.

A shallow and significant M5.4 aftershock struck under land 21 kilometer from Honmachi in Japan in the evening of Wednesday July 29th, 2026. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. Around 13 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Japan, 21 kilometer (13 mi) southwest 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 29, 2026 22:19 (Tokyo Time) - Jul 29, 2026 13:19 Universal Time.
Location:	21 km SW of Honmachi, Kumamoto, Japan. Coordinates 32°20'24"N 130°29'17"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 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:	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 13 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 13 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 43,620 people were exposed to level VI. At this level, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 7.1 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 Minamata in Kumamoto, Japan. Minamata is located 16 kilometer (10 mi) north-east of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Minamata 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 55 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 86 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 intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VII.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 2 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 people have reported shaking in 2 places in 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:

• Isahaya, Nagasaki, Japan: 1 person.
• Ibaraki, Ōsaka, Japan: 1 person.

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake is likely an aftershock of the MAG-6.8 earthquake that struck 1 day earlier. That main earthquake hit 44 km (27 mi) north-east of the epicenter of this MAG-5.4 aftershock.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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, 26 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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 5 months.

Low tsunami risk

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

Sources

Last updated 29/07/26 17:58 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000tgmx
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260729_0000212
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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