A shallow and significant M5.1 aftershock struck in the East China Sea 94 kilometer from Naze, Japan in the evening of Tuesday September 22nd, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the East China Sea, 89 kilometers (55 mi) off the coast of Japan, 94 kilometer northwest of Naze in Kagoshima. 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: | Sep 22, 2026 19:46 (Tokyo Time) - Sep 22, 2026 10:46 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 94 km NW of Naze, Kagoshima, Japan. Coordinates 29°2'12"N 128°53'40"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 23 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.065 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very 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 . Naze in Kagoshima, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 94 kilometer (58 mi) northwest of Naze.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 94 km (58 mi) SE from epicenter |
Naze Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 277 km (172 mi) NE from epicenter |
Nishinoomote Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 283 km (176 mi) NE from epicenter |
Makurazaki Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 284 km (176 mi) S from epicenter |
Nago Okinawa, Japan. |
| 297 km (185 mi) NE from epicenter |
Ibusuki Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 298 km (185 mi) NE from epicenter |
Kaseda-shirakame Kagoshima, Japan. |
This is likely an aftershock
This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 5.1 earthquake struck 84 km (52 mi) south-east in advance of this 5.1 earthquake around 2 days earlier.
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 | M 5.1 |
Sep 20, 2026 16:28 (Tokyo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
2 days later Sep 22, 2026 18:49 (Tokyo Time) | 98 km (61 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
2 days later Sep 22, 2026 19:46 (Tokyo Time) | 84 km (52 mi) NW 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. In total, 62 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 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 22/09/26 21:58 (). 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 us7000tj4y
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260922_0000187
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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