A significant MAG-5.1 earthquake struck in the East China Sea 18 kilometer from Naze, Japan in the late afternoon of Sunday September 20th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the East China Sea, right off the coast of Japan (6 mi offshore), 18 kilometer northwest of Naze in Kagoshima. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 69 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Sep 20, 2026 16:28 (Tokyo Time) - Sep 20, 2026 07:28 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 18 km NW of Naze, Kagoshima, Japan. Coordinates 28°26'39"N 129°19'38"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 19 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.071 . |
| Depth: | 69 km (43 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . Located 18 kilometer (11 mi) northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Naze (Kagoshima, Japan) is the nearest significant population center.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 18 km (11 mi) SE from epicenter |
Naze Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 243 km (151 mi) SW from epicenter |
Nago Okinawa, Japan. |
| 269 km (167 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ishikawa Okinawa, Japan. |
| 273 km (170 mi) SW from epicenter |
Gushikawa Okinawa, Japan. |
| 275 km (171 mi) SW from epicenter |
Katsuren-haebaru Okinawa, Japan. |
| 276 km (171 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yomitan Okinawa, Japan. |
| 279 km (173 mi) SW from epicenter |
Okinawa Okinawa, Japan. |
| 283 km (176 mi) SW from epicenter |
Chatan Okinawa, Japan. |
| 288 km (179 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ginowan Okinawa, Japan. |
| 294 km (183 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yonabaru Okinawa, Japan. |
| 296 km (184 mi) SW from epicenter |
Naha Okinawa, Japan. |
| 299 km (186 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tomigusuku Okinawa, Japan. |
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:
- Naze, Kagoshima, Japan: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. A 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days later 78 km (49 mi) northwest of this earthquake.
This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.4 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.4 |
2 days earlier Sep 19, 2026 01:27 (Tokyo Time) | 69 km (43 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Sep 20, 2026 16:28 (Tokyo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 5.1 |
2 days later Sep 22, 2026 19:46 (Tokyo Time) | 78 km (49 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 May 20th, 2026, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 124 km (77 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on June 13th, 2020.
In total, 66 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 2 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
| 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 69 km (43 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 11/10/26 01:48 (). 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 us7000tipl
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260920_0000092
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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