M5.5 earthquake 169 km SSE of Honchō, Japan
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 169 km SSE of Honchō, Japan on Fri, Sep 20, 1968, 10:53 PM JST (13:53 UTC), 26 km (16 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.0 170 km E of Noda, Japan. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1968-09-20 13:53:36 UTC
- Depth
- 26.1 km (16.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 40.719° N, 143.687° 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: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 6.0170 km E of Noda, Japan · 21183 days ago · 26 km deep · 43 km away
- 6.1167 km E of Noda, Japan · 21182 days ago · 23 km deep · 41 km away
- 6.0200 km E of Noda, Japan · 21156 days ago · 15 km deep · 52 km away
- 5.9126 km E of Noda, Japan · 21134 days ago · 32 km deep · 73 km away
- 5.7132 km SSE of Hiroo, Japan · 21133 days ago · 32 km deep · 65 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayJapan earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem817213. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 2:34 AM UTC.