On Thursday Night a Shallow M5.6 Earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 261km from Sendai (Japan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 26th, 2026. Last updated August 27th, 2026.

In the night of Thursday August 27th, 2026, a shallow and significant MAG-5.6 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 261 kilometer from Sendai, Japan. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 170 thousand people.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 243 kilometers (151 mi) off the coast of Japan, 261 kilometer 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 27, 2026 04:21 (Tokyo Time) - Aug 26, 2026 19:21 Universal Time.
Location:	261 km east of Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. Coordinates 38°7'45"N 143°50'52"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 23 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.065 .
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 170 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 170 thousand 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 63,590 people were exposed to level III. At this level, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. Intensity level II was experienced by the majority of people (around 110 thousand). In their region, very weak shaking and 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
105,100	II	Very weak	None
63,590	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 . Located 213 kilometer (132 mi) south-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Ōfunato (Iwate, Japan) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Ōfunato is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Sendai is located 261 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Iwaki is located 287 km to the southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Morioka is located 291 km to the northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

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)
213 km (132 mi) NW from epicenter	Ōfunato Iwate, Japan.	III Weak
214 km (133 mi) NW from epicenter	Kamaishi Iwate, Japan.	II Weak
222 km (138 mi) NW from epicenter	Yamada Iwate, Japan.	III Weak
225 km (140 mi) W from epicenter	Ishinomaki Miyagi, Japan.
232 km (144 mi) W from epicenter	Yamoto Miyagi, Japan.
236 km (147 mi) NW from epicenter	Miyako Iwate, Japan.	II Weak
240 km (149 mi) NW from epicenter	Tōno Iwate, Japan.
241 km (150 mi) W from epicenter	Wakuya Miyagi, Japan.
245 km (152 mi) W from epicenter	Matsushima Miyagi, Japan.
247 km (153 mi) W from epicenter	Shiogama Miyagi, Japan.
248 km (154 mi) W from epicenter	Kogota Miyagi, Japan.
252 km (157 mi) W from epicenter	Rifu Miyagi, Japan.
252 km (157 mi) W from epicenter	Ichinoseki Iwate, Japan.
257 km (160 mi) W from epicenter	Furukawa Miyagi, Japan.
260 km (162 mi) W from epicenter	Namie Fukushima, Japan.
260 km (162 mi) W from epicenter	Tomiya Miyagi, Japan.
261 km (162 mi) W from epicenter	Sendai Miyagi, Japan.
261 km (162 mi) W from epicenter	Iwanuma Miyagi, Japan.
261 km (162 mi) NW from epicenter	Mizusawa Iwate, Japan.
262 km (163 mi) W from epicenter	Watari Miyagi, Japan.
265 km (165 mi) NW from epicenter	Kanegasaki Iwate, Japan.
269 km (167 mi) NW from epicenter	Kitakami Iwate, Japan.
270 km (168 mi) W from epicenter	Kakuda Miyagi, Japan.
273 km (170 mi) W from epicenter	Ōkawara Miyagi, Japan.
275 km (171 mi) NW from epicenter	Hanamaki Iwate, Japan.
283 km (176 mi) W from epicenter	Shiroishi Miyagi, Japan.
286 km (178 mi) W from epicenter	Yanagawamachi-saiwaichō Fukushima, Japan.
287 km (178 mi) SW from epicenter	Iwaki Fukushima, Japan.
291 km (181 mi) W from epicenter	Hobaramachi Fukushima, Japan.
291 km (181 mi) NW from epicenter	Morioka Iwate, Japan.
297 km (185 mi) W from epicenter	Funehikimachi-funehiki Fukushima, Japan.
299 km (186 mi) W from epicenter	Fukushima Fukushima, Japan.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is III. 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 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place 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:

Misawa, Aomori, Japan: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.

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.

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 July 1st, 2026, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 261 km (162 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 20th, 2026.

In total, 41 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 3 months.

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 5.6. 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 27/08/26 07:08 (). 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.