Japan earthquakes

M6.9 earthquake 101 km ESE of ?funato, Japan

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 101 km ESE of ?funato, Japan on Mon, Jan 19, 1981, 3:17 AM JST (18:17 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

Ōfunato forecast More in Japan

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 6.9 (ms), strong
Local time: Mon, Jan 19, 1981, 3:17 AM JST
UTC: 1981-01-18 18:17:24 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 38.640° N, 142.750° E
Region: Japan
Strongest shaking: V, moderate shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Deaths and damage

From NOAA NCEI’s Significant Earthquake Database (record 6460), matched to this event by time and place.

NOAA’s record of this earthquake gives no deaths, injuries or damage.

NOAA’s full record of this earthquake The tsunami it caused

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: V, moderate shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 5.4% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 1.9 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Stations used: 220

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 3.9 and up: 23 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Japan earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001bss (also filed as atlas19810118181727, iscgem632851). Read Sat, Sep 26, 2026, 7:58 AM UTC.