Just after midnight of Thursday September 17th, 2026, a MAG-4.8 earthquake hit under land 1 kilometer from Ishige in Japan. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Japan, 1 kilometer (1 mi) south-east of Ishige in Ibaraki. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 80 km.
| Date and Time: | Sep 17, 2026 00:07 (Tokyo Time) - Sep 16, 2026 15:07 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 1 km SE of Ishige, Ibaraki, Japan. Coordinates 36°6'33"N 139°58'42"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.8 Detected by 10 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.098 . |
| Depth: | 80 km (50 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Ishige in Ibaraki, Japan. Ishige is located 1 kilometer (1 mi) south-east of the epicenter.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Tokyo is located 53 km to the southwest. Yokohama is located 81 km to the south. Saitama is located 37 km to the southwest.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 1 km (1 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ishige Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 10 km (6 mi) SW from epicenter |
Iwai Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 10 km (6 mi) S from epicenter |
Mitsukaidō Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 15 km (9 mi) NE from epicenter |
Tsukuba Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 16 km (10 mi) W from epicenter |
Sakai Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 18 km (11 mi) E from epicenter |
Naka Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 20 km (12 mi) SW from epicenter |
Noda Chiba, Japan. |
| 20 km (12 mi) S from epicenter |
Moriya Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 21 km (13 mi) N from epicenter |
Shimodate Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 21 km (13 mi) SE from epicenter |
Ushiku Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 22 km (14 mi) E from epicenter |
Ami Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 23 km (14 mi) N from epicenter |
Yūki Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 23 km (14 mi) W from epicenter |
Satte Saitama, Japan. |
| 24 km (15 mi) W from epicenter |
Sugito Saitama, Japan. |
| 25 km (16 mi) W from epicenter |
Koga Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 25 km (16 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kasukabe Saitama, Japan. |
| 25 km (16 mi) SE from epicenter |
Toride Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 27 km (17 mi) S from epicenter |
Kashiwa Chiba, Japan. |
| 27 km (17 mi) NW from epicenter |
Oyama Tochigi, Japan. |
| 27 km (17 mi) E from epicenter |
Ishioka Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 27 km (17 mi) S from epicenter |
Abiko Chiba, Japan. |
| 27 km (17 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yoshikawa Saitama, Japan. |
| 28 km (17 mi) W from epicenter |
Kukichūō Saitama, Japan. |
| 29 km (18 mi) S from epicenter |
Nagareyama Chiba, Japan. |
| 30 km (19 mi) SE from epicenter |
Ryūgasaki Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 30 km (19 mi) SW from epicenter |
Iwatsuki Saitama, Japan. |
| 30 km (19 mi) SW from epicenter |
Koshigaya Saitama, Japan. |
| 33 km (21 mi) SW from epicenter |
Hasuda Saitama, Japan. |
| 34 km (21 mi) W from epicenter |
Kazo Saitama, Japan. |
| 34 km (21 mi) SW from epicenter |
Sōka Saitama, Japan. |
| 34 km (21 mi) S from epicenter |
Yashio Saitama, Japan. |
| 36 km (22 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ageoshimo Saitama, Japan. |
| 37 km (23 mi) SW from epicenter |
Saitama Saitama, Japan. |
| 37 km (23 mi) S from epicenter |
Matsudo Chiba, Japan. |
| 40 km (25 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yono Saitama, Japan. |
| 41 km (25 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kawaguchi Saitama, Japan. |
| 42 km (26 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shimotoda Saitama, Japan. |
| 43 km (27 mi) W from epicenter |
Tatebayashi Gunma, Japan. |
| 45 km (28 mi) S from epicenter |
Honchō Chiba, Japan. |
| 49 km (30 mi) SE from epicenter |
Sakura Chiba, Japan. |
| 49 km (30 mi) S from epicenter |
Urayasu Tokyo, Japan. |
| 50 km (31 mi) NE from epicenter |
Mito Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 50 km (31 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kawagoe Saitama, Japan. |
| 52 km (32 mi) N from epicenter |
Utsunomiya Tochigi, Japan. |
| 53 km (33 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tokyo Tokyo, Japan. |
| 57 km (35 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tokorozawa Saitama, Japan. |
| 58 km (36 mi) S from epicenter |
Chiba Chiba, Japan. |
| 67 km (42 mi) S from epicenter |
Ichihara Chiba, Japan. |
| 70 km (43 mi) S from epicenter |
Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan. |
| 78 km (48 mi) SW from epicenter |
Hachiōji Tokyo, Japan. |
| 79 km (49 mi) SW from epicenter |
Machida Tokyo, Japan. |
| 81 km (50 mi) S from epicenter |
Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan. |
| 95 km (59 mi) SW from epicenter |
Uenohara Yamanashi, Japan. |
| 132 km (82 mi) NE from epicenter |
Iwaki Fukushima, Japan. |
| 172 km (107 mi) W from epicenter |
Nagano Nagano, Japan. |
| 191 km (119 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shizuoka Shizuoka, Japan. |
| 216 km (134 mi) NW from epicenter |
Niigata Niigata, Japan. |
| 239 km (149 mi) N from epicenter |
Yamagata Yamagata, Japan. |
| 252 km (157 mi) N from epicenter |
Sendai Miyagi, Japan. |
| 256 km (159 mi) W from epicenter |
Toyama Toyama, Japan. |
| 289 km (180 mi) W from epicenter |
Nanao Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 291 km (181 mi) W from epicenter |
Kakamigahara Gifu, Japan. |
| 296 km (184 mi) W from epicenter |
Nagoya Aichi, Japan. |
Shaking reported by 72 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 72 people have reported shaking in 28 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: 25 people.
- Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan: 5 people.
- Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan: 4 people.
- Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan: 3 people.
- Urayasu, Chiba, Japan: 3 people.
- Saitama, Saitama, Japan: 2 people.
- Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan: 2 people.
- Musashino, Tokio, Japan: 2 people.
- Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan: 2 people.
- Hachiōji, Tokio, Japan: 2 people.
3 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 3 smaller aftershocks. Just 2 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.9 was detected 92 km (57 mi) east of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 4.8 |
Sep 17, 2026 00:07 (Tokyo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
4 hrs later Sep 17, 2026 03:40 (Tokyo Time) | 86 km (54 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
6 hrs later Sep 17, 2026 06:11 (Tokyo Time) | 7 km (4 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.9 |
2 days later Sep 19, 2026 06:15 (Tokyo Time) | 92 km (57 mi) E 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.
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 22nd, 2026, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 25 km (16 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on January 1st, 2024.
In total, 398 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.8 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 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 4.8. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 80 km (50 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 07/10/26 01:28 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- 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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