A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.0 aftershock struck in the East China Sea 89 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, 84 kilometers (52 mi) off the coast of Japan, 89 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: | 89 km NW of Naze, Kagoshima, Japan. Coordinates 28°59'25"N 128°54'29"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.0 Detected by 28 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.059 . |
| 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 89 kilometer (55 mi) northwest of Naze.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 89 km (55 mi) SE from epicenter |
Naze Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 279 km (173 mi) S from epicenter |
Nago Okinawa, Japan. |
| 280 km (174 mi) NE from epicenter |
Nishinoomote Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 287 km (178 mi) NE from epicenter |
Makurazaki Kagoshima, Japan. |
This is likely an aftershock
Approximately 2 days before this earthquake hit, a larger 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck 73 km (45 mi) south-east of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.0 earthquake as an aftershock.
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 This Earthquake |
M 5.0 |
2 days later Sep 22, 2026 19:46 (Tokyo Time) | 73 km (45 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
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. In total, 118 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 month.
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. 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 18/10/26 14:38 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- 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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