Japan earthquakes

M5.9 earthquake 178 km ESE of Namie, Japan

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 178 km ESE of Namie, Japan on Sat, Dec 3, 1938, 9:43 AM JST (00:43 UTC), 25 km (16 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.5 100 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan. This one was a foreshock.

Namie forecastMore in Japan

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.9 (mw), moderate
Local time
UTC
1938-12-03 00:43:10 UTC
Depth
25.0 km (15.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
37.075° N, 142.942° E
Region
Japan
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude uncertainty
±0.20
Depth from
From location

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 29 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 6.5100 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32070 days ago · 25 km deep · 90 km away
  2. 5.9142 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32064 days ago · 25 km deep · 65 km away

Before

  1. 7.099 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32073 days ago · 30 km deep · 84 km away
  2. 6.5127 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32074 days ago · 25 km deep · 78 km away
  3. 5.8off the east coast of Honshu, Japan · 32077 days ago · 25 km deep · 48 km away
  4. 5.894 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32077 days ago · 25 km deep · 88 km away
  5. 6.392 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32078 days ago · 25 km deep · 91 km away
  6. 5.7136 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32080 days ago · 25 km deep · 57 km away
  7. 5.6151 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32080 days ago · 25 km deep · 59 km away
  8. 5.7127 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32081 days ago · 25 km deep · 70 km away
  9. 6.0149 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32081 days ago · 25 km deep · 69 km away
  10. 6.8155 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32081 days ago · 25 km deep · 58 km away
  11. 6.2165 km ESE of Namie, Japan · 32089 days ago · 25 km deep · 18 km away
  12. 7.1200 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32090 days ago · 35 km deep · 66 km away
  13. 5.8129 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32094 days ago · 25 km deep · 73 km away
  14. 6.9174 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32094 days ago · 15 km deep · 69 km away
  15. 5.6132 km E of Namie, Japan · 32095 days ago · 25 km deep · 47 km away
  16. 6.5156 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32096 days ago · 30 km deep · 55 km away
  17. 6.4167 km E of Namie, Japan · 32096 days ago · 25 km deep · 31 km away
  18. 6.5127 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32096 days ago · 25 km deep · 56 km away
  19. 6.8130 km ESE of Namie, Japan · 32096 days ago · 30 km deep · 52 km away
  20. 6.2119 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32096 days ago · 25 km deep · 64 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem902844. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:26 AM UTC.