M3.7 earthquake 9 km NW of Ishige, Japan
A magnitude 3.7 earthquake struck 9 km NW of Ishige, Japan on Thu, Apr 16, 1981, 3:00 AM JST (18:00 UTC), 60 km (37 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.6 8 km ESE of Chiba, Japan. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 3.7 (mb, body-wave), minor
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-04-15 18:00:27 UTC
- Depth
- 60.2 km (37.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 36.173° N, 139.892° E
- Region
- Japan
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
FELT (III JMA) IN THE TOKYO AREA.
From the USGS event page for usp0001d5y. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayJapan earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001d5y. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 3:40 AM UTC.