Shallow M5.4 Earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 281km from Sendai (Japan) on Friday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 6th, 2026.

In the North Pacific Ocean 281 kilometer from Sendai, Japan, a shallow and significant M5.4 earthquake occurred in the night of Friday August 7th, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 680 thousand people.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 175 kilometers (109 mi) off the coast of Japan, 281 kilometer north-east of Sendai in Miyagi. 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:	Aug 7, 2026 02:43 (Tokyo Time) - Aug 6, 2026 17:43 Universal Time.
Location:	281 km NE of Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. Coordinates 39°34'58"N 143°38'27"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 22 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light 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 680 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 680 thousand 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.

Weak shaking and probably no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 585,400 people. At III, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Japan .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
98,710	II	Very weak	None
585,400	III	Weak	Probably none
0	IV	Light	Likely none
0	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 Miyako in Iwate, Japan. Miyako is located 146 kilometer (91 mi) east of the epicenter. Miyako experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Sendai is located 281 km to the southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Morioka is located 214 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Hachinohe is located 209 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
146 km (91 mi) W from epicenter	Miyako Iwate, Japan.	III Weak
146 km (91 mi) W from epicenter	Yamada Iwate, Japan.	III Weak
156 km (97 mi) W from epicenter	Kamaishi Iwate, Japan.	III Weak
175 km (109 mi) W from epicenter	Ōfunato Iwate, Japan.	III Weak
183 km (114 mi) W from epicenter	Tōno Iwate, Japan.	III Weak
209 km (130 mi) NW from epicenter	Hachinohe Aomori, Japan.	III Weak
214 km (133 mi) W from epicenter	Morioka Iwate, Japan.
218 km (135 mi) W from epicenter	Hanamaki Iwate, Japan.
219 km (136 mi) W from epicenter	Kitakami Iwate, Japan.
221 km (137 mi) W from epicenter	Mizusawa Iwate, Japan.
221 km (137 mi) W from epicenter	Kanegasaki Iwate, Japan.
227 km (141 mi) NW from epicenter	Misawa Aomori, Japan.	III Weak
228 km (142 mi) W from epicenter	Shizukuishi Iwate, Japan.
228 km (142 mi) W from epicenter	Ichinoseki Iwate, Japan.
240 km (149 mi) SW from epicenter	Ishinomaki Miyagi, Japan.
245 km (152 mi) SW from epicenter	Wakuya Miyagi, Japan.
246 km (153 mi) SW from epicenter	Yamoto Miyagi, Japan.
251 km (156 mi) SW from epicenter	Kogota Miyagi, Japan.
252 km (157 mi) W from epicenter	Hanawa Akita, Japan.
258 km (160 mi) SW from epicenter	Furukawa Miyagi, Japan.
260 km (162 mi) SW from epicenter	Matsushima Miyagi, Japan.
266 km (165 mi) SW from epicenter	Shiogama Miyagi, Japan.
267 km (166 mi) W from epicenter	Yokote Akita, Japan.
269 km (167 mi) SW from epicenter	Rifu Miyagi, Japan.
271 km (168 mi) W from epicenter	Ōmagari Akita, Japan.
272 km (169 mi) SW from epicenter	Tomiya Miyagi, Japan.
274 km (170 mi) W from epicenter	Yuzawa Akita, Japan.
274 km (170 mi) W from epicenter	Ōdate Akita, Japan.
279 km (173 mi) NW from epicenter	Mutsu Aomori, Japan.
281 km (175 mi) SW from epicenter	Sendai Miyagi, Japan.
282 km (175 mi) NW from epicenter	Aomori Aomori, Japan.
286 km (178 mi) NW from epicenter	Kuroishi Aomori, Japan.
288 km (179 mi) NW from epicenter	Namioka Aomori, Japan.
288 km (179 mi) W from epicenter	Takanosu Akita, Japan.
292 km (181 mi) SW from epicenter	Iwanuma Miyagi, Japan.
292 km (181 mi) W from epicenter	Hirosaki Aomori, Japan.
297 km (185 mi) SW from epicenter	Watari Miyagi, Japan.
300 km (186 mi) W from epicenter	Obanazawa Yamagata, 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 III.

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.

Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. Just 7 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.6 was detected 7 km (4 mi) north of this earthquake.

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 5.4	Aug 7, 2026 02:43 (Tokyo Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.6	7 mins later Aug 7, 2026 02:50 (Tokyo Time)	7 km (4 mi) N from Main Shock.

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.

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

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 August 1st, 2026, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 246 km (153 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on December 8th, 2025.

In total, 95 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 month.

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 5.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 06/08/26 21:08 (). 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.