Just after midnight of Thursday September 17th, 2026, a significant M5.0 earthquake hit under land 5 kilometer from Mitsukaidō in Japan. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Japan, 5 kilometer (3 mi) north-east of Mitsukaidō in Ibaraki. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 77 km.
| Date and Time: | Sep 17, 2026 00:07 (Tokyo Time) - Sep 16, 2026 15:07 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 5 km NE of Mitsukaidō, Ibaraki, Japan. Coordinates 36°3'20"N 140°1'15"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.0 Detected by 107 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.055 . |
| Depth: | 77 km (48 mi) An intermediate depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . Mitsukaidō in Ibaraki, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 5 kilometer (3 mi) north-east of Mitsukaidō.
Major cities near this earthquake: Tokyo is located 50 km to the southwest. Yokohama is located 77 km to the southwest. Saitama is located 37 km to the southwest.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 5 km (3 mi) SW from epicenter |
Mitsukaidō Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 8 km (5 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ishige Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 11 km (7 mi) W from epicenter |
Iwai Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 13 km (8 mi) E from epicenter |
Naka Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 14 km (9 mi) SE from epicenter |
Ushiku Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 14 km (9 mi) S from epicenter |
Moriya Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 16 km (10 mi) E from epicenter |
Ami Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 18 km (11 mi) NE from epicenter |
Tsukuba Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 18 km (11 mi) S from epicenter |
Toride Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 18 km (11 mi) SW from epicenter |
Noda Chiba, Japan. |
| 18 km (11 mi) SE from epicenter |
Fujishiro Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 21 km (13 mi) S from epicenter |
Abiko Chiba, Japan. |
| 22 km (14 mi) S from epicenter |
Kashiwa Chiba, Japan. |
| 23 km (14 mi) SE from epicenter |
Ryūgasaki Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 24 km (15 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yoshikawa Saitama, Japan. |
| 25 km (16 mi) SW from epicenter |
Nagareyama Chiba, Japan. |
| 26 km (16 mi) W from epicenter |
Kasukabe Saitama, Japan. |
| 26 km (16 mi) NE from epicenter |
Ishioka Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 27 km (17 mi) W from epicenter |
Sugito Saitama, Japan. |
| 27 km (17 mi) N from epicenter |
Shimodate Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 27 km (17 mi) W from epicenter |
Satte Saitama, Japan. |
| 28 km (17 mi) SW from epicenter |
Koshigaya Saitama, Japan. |
| 29 km (18 mi) S from epicenter |
Shiroi Chiba, Japan. |
| 31 km (19 mi) W from epicenter |
Iwatsuki Saitama, Japan. |
| 31 km (19 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yashio Saitama, Japan. |
| 31 km (19 mi) SW from epicenter |
Sōka Saitama, Japan. |
| 31 km (19 mi) NW from epicenter |
Koga Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 31 km (19 mi) W from epicenter |
Kukichūō Saitama, Japan. |
| 32 km (20 mi) S from epicenter |
Matsudo Chiba, Japan. |
| 34 km (21 mi) NW from epicenter |
Oyama Tochigi, Japan. |
| 37 km (23 mi) SW from epicenter |
Saitama Saitama, Japan. |
| 38 km (24 mi) W from epicenter |
Ageoshimo Saitama, Japan. |
| 39 km (24 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kawaguchi Saitama, Japan. |
| 40 km (25 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yono Saitama, Japan. |
| 40 km (25 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shimotoda Saitama, Japan. |
| 40 km (25 mi) SE from epicenter |
Narita Chiba, Japan. |
| 40 km (25 mi) S from epicenter |
Honchō Chiba, Japan. |
| 42 km (26 mi) SE from epicenter |
Sakura Chiba, Japan. |
| 44 km (27 mi) S from epicenter |
Urayasu Tokyo, Japan. |
| 50 km (31 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tokyo Tokyo, Japan. |
| 51 km (32 mi) NE from epicenter |
Mito Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 51 km (32 mi) W from epicenter |
Kawagoe Saitama, Japan. |
| 51 km (32 mi) S from epicenter |
Chiba Chiba, Japan. |
| 57 km (35 mi) SW from epicenter |
Nishi-Tokyo-shi Tokyo, Japan. |
| 57 km (35 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tokorozawa Saitama, Japan. |
| 58 km (36 mi) N from epicenter |
Utsunomiya Tochigi, Japan. |
| 60 km (37 mi) S from epicenter |
Ichihara Chiba, Japan. |
| 65 km (40 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan. |
| 65 km (40 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ōta Gunma, Japan. |
| 77 km (48 mi) SW from epicenter |
Machida Tokyo, Japan. |
| 77 km (48 mi) SW from epicenter |
Hachiōji Tokyo, Japan. |
| 77 km (48 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan. |
| 95 km (59 mi) SW from epicenter |
Uenohara Yamanashi, Japan. |
| 135 km (84 mi) NE from epicenter |
Iwaki Fukushima, Japan. |
| 177 km (110 mi) W from epicenter |
Nagano Nagano, Japan. |
| 190 km (118 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shizuoka Shizuoka, Japan. |
| 223 km (139 mi) NW from epicenter |
Niigata Niigata, Japan. |
| 244 km (152 mi) N from epicenter |
Yamagata Yamagata, Japan. |
| 257 km (160 mi) N from epicenter |
Sendai Miyagi, Japan. |
| 261 km (162 mi) W from epicenter |
Toyama Toyama, Japan. |
| 293 km (182 mi) W from epicenter |
Kakamigahara Gifu, Japan. |
| 294 km (183 mi) W from epicenter |
Nanao Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 298 km (185 mi) W from epicenter |
Nagoya Aichi, Japan. |
Shaking reported by 63 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 63 people have reported shaking in 24 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: 24 people.
- Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan: 5 people.
- Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan: 3 people.
- Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan: 3 people.
- Urayasu, Chiba, Japan: 3 people.
- Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan: 2 people.
- Musashino, Tokio, Japan: 2 people.
- Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan: 2 people.
- Sōka, Saitama, Japan: 2 people.
- Mitaka, Tokio, Japan: 2 people.
2 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 2 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 4 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.5 was detected 81 km (50 mi) east of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.0 |
Sep 17, 2026 00:07 (Tokyo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
4 hrs later Sep 17, 2026 03:40 (Tokyo Time) | 81 km (50 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
6 hrs later Sep 17, 2026 06:11 (Tokyo Time) | 12 km (7 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major 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 22nd, 2026, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 19 km (12 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on January 1st, 2024.
In total, 203 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5 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 18 days.
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
| 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 | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 77 km (48 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 17/09/26 09:18 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000thv6
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260916_0000212
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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